ISTANBUL

South Korea said Wednesday it is “closely” watching meetings between Chinese, Russian and North Korean leaders in Beijing, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported.

"We are watching the situation closely as the international landscape is highly complex," presidential spokeswoman Kang Yu Jung told reporters in Seoul.

Her remarks came after Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted leaders from more than 26 nations, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, at a massive military parade in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of China’s victory in WWII.

The leaders of North Korea, China and Russia made a historic appearance together for the first time in more than 60 years. The three stood side by side at the parade.

Kang said Seoul did not have an "official evaluation" of the meeting, but reiterated South Korea’s "consistent vigilance regarding key neighboring countries" and affirmed "no change in that stance."

Also, South Korea’s top lawmaker Woo Won Shik met Xi and Putin on the sidelines of the parade in Beijing, and shook hands with Kim, which marked the first direct contact with the North since the era of South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

Seoul wants to “open an era of peace, prosperity” with North Korea, Woo told Putin, and underlined the importance of joint efforts to build peace on the Korean Peninsula.​​​​​​​