Following a meeting between the Russian president and the DPRK leader at the Vostochny Space Center in Russia on Wednesday, South Korea’s Defence Ministry said it is closely monitoring the possibility of joint military exercises between North Korea and Russia.
The Kim-Putin summit was accompanied by defence chiefs, prompting speculation about possible military cooperation. After a rare meeting between Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin, South Korea expressed concern about military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow. Jeong Ha-gyu, a spokesman for South Korea’s Defence Ministry told reporters:
“There have been numerous such predictions, and while keeping that possibility in mind, (we) will continue to closely monitor for it.”
Jeong also noted that if North Korea starts selling weapons to Russia, it will violate UN Security Council resolutions. He said:
“There would be parts that would be in violation of U.N. (Security Council) resolutions, and Russia likely already knows that. We have to hope that (Russia) abides by them, and I think we’ll have to wait and see.”
