Regarding North Korea’s Workers’ Party General Secretary Kim Jong-un’s comments raising the level of threats against South Korea, Ivan Zelokhovtsev, First Deputy Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said, “This clearly shows that the risk of a direct military conflict on the Korean Peninsula is rapidly increasing.” .
In an interview with the state-run RIA Novosti news agency on the 11th (local time), Director Zelokhovtsev was asked whether North Korea’s recent maritime artillery fire and Secretary General Kim’s remarks mean that they are seriously preparing for an armed conflict between South and North Korea. I answered.
Director Zelokhovtsev said, “Secretary General Kim’s warning” should be viewed in the context that the United States and its allies are taking dangerous military measures, such as conducting joint exercises targeting North Korea. “The reason for the current worsening situation in the region is precisely this aggressive and “These are provocative actions,” he said, passing the blame to the United States and its allies.
He claimed that such actions “pose a threat to peace and security in Northeast Asia.”
He argued, “Under the current situation, North Korea has no choice but to take reasonable measures to protect (themselves) from external infringements on sovereignty by guaranteeing security and strengthening national defense.”
Previously, Secretary-General Kim has been making strong threats against South Korea, such as saying last month that if the Republic of Korea attempts to use force first, “we will mobilize all the means and capabilities at our disposal without hesitation and completely destroy the Republic of Korea.”
Regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit schedule to North Korea, Director Zelokhovtsev said, “At the Vostochny Cosmodrome summit in September last year, General Secretary Kim invited President Putin to Pyongyang,” adding, “This invitation was confirmed when Foreign Minister Choi Son-hee recently visited Russia. “It’s done,” he explained.
He continued, “The specific visit schedule will be coordinated through diplomatic channels.”
In this regard, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that President Putin has no plans to visit North Korea before the end of March.
As a result, President Putin, who is running for a fifth term, is expected to visit North Korea after the Russian presidential election on the 15th to 17th of next month.
Regarding economic cooperation between North Korea and Russia, Director Zelokhovtsev said that he expects the results of the 10th North Korea-Russia Joint Economic Committee held in North Korea in November last year to have a positive impact on the trade indicators of the two countries in the near future.
Regarding Korea-Russia relations, Director Zelokhovtsev said, “We are going through a difficult time,” and diagnosed that Korea had no choice but to support Ukraine in the Ukraine war due to the ROK-US alliance.
However, despite serious differences in approaches between South Korea and Russia, a similar understanding was confirmed during the Korea-Russia Vice Foreign Minister-level meeting held in Seoul in early February, he said, adding, “I think it is important to maintain open communication channels.”
In particular, he said, Korea has demonstrated its determination to secure opportunities to return to our promising market without severing relations with Russia through contacts at all levels. “We welcome this (Korea’s) attitude, but Korea’s intentions are not specific.” “We will make a judgment based on measures taken against Russia,” he said.
He emphasized that Korea plans to introduce the third export control package against Russia this month and that “it depends on Korea whether cooperation between the two countries will return to the track of a mutually beneficial partnership relationship.”
(Washington = News 1)
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.