Photo : YONHAP News
South Korean Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho has called on the international community to respond together in “solidarity and cooperation” to address the military ties between North Korea and Russia.
Kim made the request Thursday at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO)’s defense ministers meeting in Brussels, Belgium, which he attended on behalf of the defense minister.
Representatives of NATO’s 32 member countries; the four Indo-Pacific partners of NATO, dubbed the IP4 nations; and the European Union attended the session to discuss security issues in Europe and the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions.
South Korea was invited as one of the IP4 nations, the others being Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
The vice minister said the international community, including NATO and the IP4, should respond jointly to the growing military ties between Moscow and Pyongyang, saying their increased cooperation and arms transfers pose a direct threat to Ukraine.
Kim also attended the IP4 defense ministers meeting to discuss defense cooperation between NATO and the IP4 nations.