Yoon, Kishida pledge closer cooperation in wake of North Korea-Russia pact at NATO summit

President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida discussed shared concerns over the newly signed military alliance between North Korea and Russia in bilateral talks on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington on Wednesday.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida shake hands during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Washington on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida discussed shared concerns over the newly signed military alliance between North Korea and Russia and promised to strengthen bilateral ties to secure peace in East Asia in bilateral talks on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Washington on Wednesday.

“I am very happy to see Kishida again after meeting at the South Korea-Japan-China summit last May,” Yoon said during their bilateral summit. “Based on the solid trust between Kishida and me, I am pleased that our two countries are continuing close communication and building results from cooperation.”

Yoon pointed out that North Korea and Russia's recent move to sign the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty and heighten military cooperation raises serious concerns about global security and East Asia.

“With the international security situation becoming more stringent day by day, it has great strategic implications for South Korea and Japan to attend this NATO summit as members of the Indo-Pacific Four Partners [IP4] for three consecutive years,” said Yoon, referring to the Indo-Pacific partners of NATO, which include South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

“The close relationship between North Korea and Russia shows how important the Camp David cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan was,” continued Yoon. “I hope that South Korea and Japan will continue to work closely with NATO members to ensure that the security of the North Atlantic and East Asia are never separated through a united response with our allies.”

Kishida, in turn, emphasized that “considering today’s international situation, it is meaningful that Yoon and I are having such a close discussion and that our two countries are cooperating closely, sharing a solid relationship of trust and awareness of strategic issues.”

“The security of the North Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific are inextricably linked, and this summit is an opportunity to deepen cooperation with NATO and our Indo-Pacific partners,” Kishida said. “I hope we can share honest opinions on various international issues.”

The two leaders also noted that cooperation between South Korea and Japan in various fields such as the economy, energy and future generation exchange, which was agreed upon at the last South Korea-Japan-China summit, is yielding tangible results and called for continued strengthening of security cooperation trilaterally with the United States, according to the presidential office.

Yoon and Kishida further agreed to work closely together and in solidarity with the international community to address Pyongyang and Moscow’s military cooperation, which violates UN Security Council resolutions.

The meeting between the South Korean and Japanese leaders reportedly lasted about 35 minutes. Yoon and Kishida were invited to the NATO summit this year as leaders of IP4 countries.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, center left, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shake hands during a welcome dinner reception as part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit at the White House on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

Yoon also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday at the NATO summit during the welcome dinner reception hosted at the White House.

Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee met with Zelensky and his wife Olena Zelenska and exchanged greetings, according to reports.

The South Korean and Ukrainian leaders are likely to meet again on Thursday after attending NATO-related events. Some experts speculate that Zelensky could request expanded arms support from South Korea when he meets again with Yoon.

This observation follows the South Korean government’s statement that it would review sending lethal weapons to Ukraine after North Korea and Russia signed the comprehensive strategic cooperation treaty equivalent to a military alliance.

Yoon also met with the leaders of Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic on the sidelines of the NATO summit, which kicked off on Tuesday and runs until Thursday.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]