Yoon Sends Delegation to NATO for Information Sharing
North Korea Responds to Russia's Troop Deployment with Yoon's 'Countermeasure'
NATO Secretary General: "Ready to Actively Cooperate with Korea"
President Yoon Suk-yeol is delivering a speech at the Indo-Pacific session of the NATO Public Forum held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Washington DC, USA, on July 11 (local time). [Image source=Yonhap News]
President Yoon Suk-yeol spoke by phone on the 21st with Mark Rutte, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), stating, "The reckless military closeness between Russia and North Korea threatens peace on the Korean Peninsula and the world," and added, "Our government will never stand idly by."
Secretary General Rutte expressed serious concerns about North Korea’s deployment of troops to Russia, which directly violates international law and United Nations (UN) Security Council resolutions, emphasizing, "NATO is prepared to actively cooperate with the Republic of Korea in responding to Russia-North Korea military cooperation."
President Yoon, at Secretary General Rutte’s request, held a phone call that day during which they shared information regarding North Korean combat troops being dispatched to Russia and discussed future response measures, according to the presidential office.
President Yoon congratulated Secretary General Rutte, who took office on the 1st, and expressed hope that Korea and NATO will closely cooperate going forward to jointly contribute to security in the Indo-Pacific and Atlantic regions.
He continued, "North Korea has gone beyond providing large-scale lethal weapons to Russia and has now sent elite troops," explaining, "Our intelligence authorities recently confirmed that about 1,500 North Korean special forces have been dispatched to Russia and are undergoing adaptation training."
President Yoon pointed out, "Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the reckless military closeness between Russia and North Korea reaffirm that security in the Indo-Pacific and Atlantic regions are inseparably linked," adding, "This fundamentally shakes the rules-based international order."
He further stated that while the government is closely monitoring the movements of Russia and North Korea, it will actively take phased measures in response to the progress of Russia-North Korea military cooperation, and hopes to seek practical countermeasures together with NATO member countries during this process.
Secretary General Rutte requested that the Korean government send a delegation to NATO for more detailed information sharing. He also expressed hope to strengthen defense industry cooperation and security dialogues among Korea, Ukraine, and NATO to respond to North Korea’s troop deployment to Russia.
In response, President Yoon said he would promptly dispatch a delegation for information sharing and take measures to activate security cooperation among Korea, Ukraine, and NATO.
President Yoon expressed hope that Korea’s accession process to NATO’s Battlefield Information Collection and Exploitation System (BICES) would proceed swiftly so that Korea and NATO can communicate in real time and share information safely and efficiently, and Secretary General Rutte replied that he would actively ensure progress is made at a rapid pace.
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