South Korea, U.S., Japan slam military cooperation between North, Russia

Senior officials from South Korea, the United States and Japan condemned "in the strongest possible terms" recent military cooperation between North Korea and Russia and vowed to deepen trilateral coordination.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un pose for a photo during a signing ceremony of the new partnership that includes a vow of mutual aid if either country is attacked in Pyongyang, North Korea, on June 19. [NEWS1]

Senior officials from South Korea, the United States and Japan condemned "in the strongest possible terms" recent military cooperation between North Korea and Russia — solidified by Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent visit to Pyongyang in the form of a mutual defense pact — and vowed to deepen trilateral coordination.

In a joint statement following their Monday call, Korea's Vice Foreign Minister for Strategy and Intelligence Cho Koo-rae, U.S. senior official for the DPRK Jung Pak, and Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Assistant Minister for Asian and Oceanian Affairs Hiroyuki Namazu addressed the North Korea-Russia relationship. DPRK is the acronym for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"The United States, ROK, and Japan condemn in the strongest possible terms the deepening military cooperation between the DPRK and Russia, including continued arms transfers from the DPRK to Russia that prolong the suffering of the Ukrainian people, violate multiple United Nations Security Council Resolutions and threaten stability in both Northeast Asia and Europe," the statement read.

They highlighted concerns over the "Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership" signed during Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's summit in Pyongyang on June 19, emphasizing its threat to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and its implications for the global non-proliferation regime and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

The officials reaffirmed their commitment to bolstering diplomatic and security cooperation to counter North Korean threats and prevent further escalation. They also reiterated that the U.S. commitment to defending South Korea and Japan remains "ironclad."

South Korea, the U.S., and Japan stressed that the path to dialogue remains open and urged North Korea to cease provocations and return to negotiations.

The joint statement comes amid heightened tensions, as Moscow and Pyongyang have established a relationship akin to a military alliance, pledging mutual aid if either country is attacked.

According to Article 4 of the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, "in case any one of the two sides is put in a state of war by an armed invasion from an individual state or several states, the other side shall provide military and other assistance with all means in its possession without delay in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter and the laws of the DPRK and the Russian Federation."

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]