Yoon and Kishida at Summit: "North Korea-Russia Military Cooperation... Serious Concerns for Global Security"

"North Atlantic Security and Northeast Asia Security Cannot Be Separated"

President Yoon Suk-yeol, attending the 75th anniversary summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), took a commemorative photo with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at a hotel in Washington DC, USA, on the 10th (local time) during the Korea-Japan summit.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is visiting the United States to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held a summit meeting on the 10th (local time) at a hotel in Washington D.C. They expressed deep concern over the strengthening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia and agreed to closely coordinate their future responses.

Prime Minister Kishida said, "I still vividly remember meeting you in Seoul last May, and I am very pleased to see you again," adding, "Considering today's international situation, I believe it is meaningful that our two leaders share a solid trust and strategic understanding of issues and engage in such close discussions and cooperation."

He continued, "The security of the U.S. Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific are inseparably linked," and proposed, "I hope we can frankly exchange views focusing on recent security and international challenges, including the situation in North Korea."

President Yoon responded, "I was very glad to see you again after meeting at the Korea-Japan-China summit last May," and said, "I am pleased that based on the strong trust between you and me, our two countries continue close communication and build cooperative achievements."

He also emphasized, "The recent moves by Russia and North Korea to conclude a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty and accelerate military and economic closeness are causing serious concerns not only for East Asia but also for global security," adding, "In the increasingly severe international security situation, it is highly significant that our two countries are attending the NATO summit for the third consecutive year as members of the Indo-Pacific 4 (IP4) partners."

He went on to say, "The recent closeness between North Korea and Russia shows how important the Camp David cooperation among Korea, the U.S., and Japan is," and expressed hope that "Korea and Japan will work closely with NATO member countries to confirm through united responses with allies that the security of the North Atlantic and Northeast Asia can never be separated."