By Lee Haye-ah
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Friday the government will consider adjusting the scope of its aid to Ukraine depending on the level of military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.
Han made the remark during the opening of the 10th annual peace forum co-hosted by Yonhap News Agency, South Korea’s leading newswire service, and the unification ministry.
“The government is closely analyzing the repercussions of the Russia-North Korea summit and actively responding at a diplomatic and military level,” he said, referring to last week’s meeting in Pyongyang between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The summit led to the signing of a treaty committing the two sides to mutual defense.
“Depending on the level of Russia’s military cooperation with the North, we plan to review corresponding measures, including adjusting the scope of our aid to Ukraine,” he said.
This year’s symposium was held at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul under the theme “Status and Challe
nges of Korea-U.S.-Japan Trilateral Cooperation.”
The forum brought together key officials from the three countries as well as foreign policy experts to discuss solutions to international challenges, including growing military ties between Pyongyang and Moscow.
Han stressed the importance of trilateral cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan, saying the three countries have sharply expanded the scope of their cooperation to cover security and economic issues as well as cutting-edge industries.
He also underscored the importance of trilateral cooperation among South Korea, Japan and China, noting the three countries’ leaders declared the “complete restoration” of the trilateral cooperation system at last month’s summit in Seoul.
Source: Yonhap News Agency