SEOUL: A possible impending visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to North Korea could deepen military ties between the two countries in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, officials of South Korea and the United States warned on Friday.
South Korea’s vice foreign minister, Kim Hong-kyun, in an emergency phone call with US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, said Putin’s visit should not result in more military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow in violation of the resolutions, according to Seoul’s foreign ministry.
Echoing Kim’s concerns, Campbell pledged continued cooperation to tackle potential regional instability and challenges caused by the trip.
“While closely monitoring related developments, the two sides agreed to resolutely respond through airtight cooperation to North Korea’s provocations against South Korea and actions that escalate tensions in the region,” the ministry said in a statement.
On Wednesday, a senior official at Seoul’s presidential office said Putin was expected to visit North Korea “in the coming days”. Russia’s Vedomosti newspaper on Monday reported Putin would visit North Korea and Vietnam in the coming weeks.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday declined to give a date or agenda for a possible visit but said Russia’s right to develop closer ties with North Korea should not be in doubt or a source of fear for anyone. –Agencies
