Yoon urges Russia to make 'sensible' decision over Koreas

On 5-day trip, Yoon to visit Indo-Pacific Command, attend NATO Summit

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday attends a ceremony to award the letter of credence to new South Korean ambassadors to foreign countries in his office in Seoul. (Pool photo via Yonhap)

President Yoon Suk Yeol is poised to address military cooperation between North Korea and Russia that the West believes is aggravating the war situation in Ukraine, as he departed for the United States to visit the US Indo-Pacific Command and attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Summit during his five-day trip.

South Korea's approval of weapons for Ukraine will be determined at "the level and substance of military cooperation between Russia and North Korea," Yoon was quoted as saying by Reuters, adding the future of relations between South Korea and Russia "depends entirely on Russia's actions."

The time is ripe for Russia to "sensibly" choose South Korea or North Korea over where its national interest lies, Yoon also said in the interview with Reuters.

This comes as Yoon is planning his visit to the cities of Honolulu and Washington, aimed at broadening the horizons of the national security of South Korea through its increased international cooperation, as Seoul's national security matters and its concerns are becoming increasingly interlinked with the global community, amid strengthening military ties between North Korea and Russia.

According to the presidential office, Seoul and Washington's integrated extended deterrence would serve as the "most realistic" way to address Pyongyang's nuclear missile threat.

Yoon also revealed in the interview with Reuters that South Korea is ready to host an undisclosed number of NATO member states for a high-level cyber defense exercise called the Allied Power Exercise in September.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in a press conference in Brussels on Friday they are "looking into how (NATO) can expand the exchange of intelligence information with South Korea."

He added that the NATO Summit later this week will mark the third consecutive NATO Summit with the South Korean head of state in attendance.

"I think that what you have seen in Ukraine demonstrates how interlinked our security is," Stoltenberg said. "It just demonstrates the interlink between our security and the security of South Korea, and the countries in the Asia Pacific. And that makes the partnership so important."

According to the presidential office, Yoon is poised to visit Honolulu to visit the US Indo-Pacific Command and be briefed about security in the Indo-Pacific region on Tuesday. The Indo-Pacific Command has the authority to recommend the US deployment of strategic assets, such as aircraft carriers, nuclear-powered submarines and strategic bombers.

Wrapping up his visit to Hawaii, Yoon will go on to travel to the nation's capital. He is to arrive to Washington on Wednesday.

On the same day, Yoon will hold bilateral talks with at least five NATO members, including the Czech Republic, Sweden, Finland and Norway, as well as Secretary-General Stoltenberg.

Yoon on Thursday is poised to attend a meeting of the 32 NATO member countries, along with leaders from the other Indo-Pacific 4 partners and the European Union. Yoon is also scheduled to take part in a separate meeting of representatives of the Indo-Pacific 4 -- Korea along with Japan, Australia and New Zealand -- on the same day.

Yoon will also deliver a speech at the NATO Public Forum on Thursday before some 350 participants.

By Son Ji-hyoung(consnow@heraldcorp.com)