President Yoon Seok-yeol announced on the 14th that he would attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit held in San Francisco this week to warn of the dangers of illegal arms trade between North Korea and Russia and discuss international response measures.
In a written interview with the Associated Press on this day, President Yoon said, “Military cooperation (between North Korea and Russia) not only poses a serious threat to the security of the Korean Peninsula, Northeast Asia, and Europe, but is also damaging the universal international order.”
President Yoon announced that he would use his attendance at the APEC summit as an opportunity to emphasize various security threats posed by “illegal” cooperation between North Korea and Russia and discuss international cooperation measures to respond to them.
The Associated Press reported that concerns are being raised that North Korea may make a misjudgment as the world focuses on the situation in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine.
In response, President Yoon said, “An effective way to prevent North Korea’s misjudgment is to demonstrate our strong deterrence and resolve against North Korea based on a solid ROK-U.S. joint defense posture,” adding, “North Korea’s provocations not only fail to achieve their intended goals, but also ( “It will result in immediate and strong retaliation from the ROK-U.S. alliance,” he said.
President Yoon claimed that the main purpose of North Korea’s planned launch of a reconnaissance satellite is the development of nuclear delivery means. He argued, “If North Korea succeeds in launching a military reconnaissance satellite, it means that North Korea has taken its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capabilities to the next level,” and added, “We need to prepare strengthened countermeasures.”
President Yoon mentioned the recent visits to Korea by U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and evaluated that their visits serve as an opportunity to demonstrate the strength of the ROK-U.S. alliance. The fact that high-ranking U.S. officials visited Korea despite the Middle East crisis and the war in Ukraine shows that America’s security promise remains firm.
He said, “Based on the ironclad ROK-US alliance, the Korean government has overwhelming response capabilities and preparedness.”
President Yoon said that amidst global challenges such as the current Ukraine war, the Israel-Hamas war, the climate crisis, and high inflation rates, APEC is facing an opportunity to lead the way in overcoming the crisis and show leadership by promoting regional cooperation and innovation.
He emphasized, “I will urge (APEC) member countries to work together in a stronger spirit of solidarity and cooperation to advance inclusive and sustainable growth, as well as trade and investment liberalization, innovation and digitalization.”
President Yoon pointed out that the war in Ukraine and the Middle East has made energy security vulnerable, and that the global economy is becoming more divided due to the weaponization of resources. He also pointed out that supply chain issues are the biggest obstacle to regional economic development.
President Yoon argued, “We must strive to make the Asia-Pacific region a free space where people, money, data, as well as goods and services can flow without disruption.”
He argued that new norms regarding digital ethics must be established in line with the era of hyper-digitalization, saying, “Because digital technology has no borders and has characteristics of connectivity and immediacy, it is necessary to establish universal norms that can be applied to all people in the international community.” “There is a need,” he said.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.