Yoon and Ukraine’s Special Envoy Discuss Growing Russia-North Korea Military Ties.

Seoul: President Yoon Suk Yeol met with Ukraine's special envoy, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, to address concerns over the increasing military cooperation between Russia and North Korea. The meeting, held on Wednesday, aimed to share intelligence and formulate joint responses to the security threats posed by these developments, as confirmed by Yoon's office.According to Yonhap News Agency, during the discussions, President Yoon reaffirmed South Korea's commitment to collaborating with Ukraine on "practical response measures" to counter the security threats stemming from the Russia-North Korea military cooperation. Yoon emphasized the importance of coordinating closely with the United States in these efforts.Both parties agreed to continue exchanging information concerning North Korea's troop deployments to Russia, as well as the transfer of weapons and technology between Moscow and Pyongyang. They also pledged to work in unison with allied nations to address these challenges, as stated in the office's release.Following the meeting with Yoon, the Ukrainian delegation, led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, engaged in separate talks with South Korea's National Security Adviser Shin Won-sik and Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun. These discussions further focused on intelligence sharing regarding North Korean troops stationed in Russia, with an expressed desire for enhancing future cooperation with South Korea.On Friday, National Security Adviser Shin disclosed that Russia has supplied North Korea with anti-air missiles and air defense equipment in return for North Korea's troop deployment in support of Russia's military operations in Ukraine. Despite expectations that Ukraine might request arms support from South Korea, Umerov did not comment on this issue when questioned by a Yonhap News Agency reporter.President Yoon has previously indicated that South Korea might consider providing arms support to Ukraine, contingent on the scale of military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has underscored Ukraine's urgent need for anti-aircraft missiles and artillery systems to bolster defenses against Russian threats.