South Korea "Gravely Concerned" Over Russia-North Korea Cooperation… Russia Claims US Activity Targeting North Korea is "Provocative"

South Korea-Russia Foreign Ministers' Meeting Held in New York… First Formal Meeting Since Ukraine War

South Korea-Russia Foreign Ministers' Meeting Held in New York [Provided by Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Reproduction and database prohibited]

South Korea and Russia held a foreign ministers' meeting in New York, where the UN General Assembly is taking place, to discuss the situation on the Korean Peninsula and other matters.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the 27th that Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun, who was visiting New York, met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the 26th (local time).

Minister Cho explained the current administration's North Korea policy, which aims to build peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula through de-escalation and trust-building. He also expressed grave concerns over the continuation of military cooperation between Russia and North Korea and urged its cessation.

However, at the meeting, Minister Lavrov criticized the military activities of the United States and its Asian allies targeting North Korea as "provocative."

According to RIA Novosti and other sources, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a release on the same day, "Regarding the situation on the Korean Peninsula, the Russian side pointed out the provocative nature of the military activities by the United States and its Asian allies targeting North Korea, as well as the strengthening of sanctions and coercive pressure against North Korea."

The ministry also added that Minister Lavrov emphasized, "There is no alternative to returning to dialogue based on mutual respect, grounded in the realities of the Korean Peninsula, in order to establish a reliable mechanism that guarantees long-term peace and stability in Northeast Asia."

Minister Cho requested Russia's continued attention and cooperation for the protection of Korean nationals in Russia and stressed the need to create a favorable environment for the stable operations of Korean companies.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that both sides agreed to continue necessary communication going forward.

Although differences in views were evident, the fact that the foreign ministers of South Korea and Russia formally met to discuss the Korean Peninsula issue drew attention.

This marks the first formal bilateral meeting between the South Korean and Russian foreign ministers since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in 2022.

While then-Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Minister Lavrov had a brief informal meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Laos in July of the previous year, this was a more substantial discussion.

Relations between South Korea and Russia had recently soured significantly, with Russia receiving military support from North Korea on the Ukrainian front and acting as an overt "backer."

However, circumstances surrounding South Korea-Russia relations appear to have become conducive to a meeting, with the Lee Jae-myung administration showing a willingness to manage relations with Russia stably, and discussions for an end to the Ukraine war gaining momentum following the inauguration of the Trump administration in the US.

It appears that the South Korean government felt it necessary to maintain high-level communication with Russia to prevent Russia from further supporting North Korea as a counter-benefit for its involvement in Ukraine and thereby threatening South Korean security. Yonhap News Agency