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SEOUL, Sept. 21 (Yonhap) — The Russian Embassy in Seoul voiced its “deep regret” on Thursday in response to President Yoon Suk Yeol’s speech at the United Nations that criticized military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.
In his address to the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday (U.S. time), Yoon warned that any arms deal between the two countries would be considered a “direct provocation” against South Korea, relaying concerns North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin could have agreed on a weapons deal at their rare summit last week.
The embassy, in a Facebook message in English, accused Yoon of joining Washington’s “propaganda campaign” and said it regarded his “speculative and baseless statements” as “provocative and confrontational.”
It also stressed that Russia “invariably complies with all of its international obligations,” including those related to the development of ties with its “good neighbor and long-time partner,” North Korea.
The embassy urged South Korea to “base their actions on a sober and objective assessment” of the current situation and to consider the negative consequences of Seoul’s “continued pursuit of the anti-Russian line” on their bilateral ties and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
In related news, Andrei Rudenko, the Russian deputy minister of foreign affairs in charge of Asia-Pacific affairs, is expected to visit Seoul later this month, diplomatic sources said.
Before the Kim-Putin talks, the two countries had been in talks to arrange his visit, which is expected to take place as early as the end of this month, they said.
Rudenko, who serves as Russia’s chief representative on North Korea’s nuclear program, may brief Seoul officials on details of their summit, they added.
julesyi@yna.co.kr
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