South Korea, UK condemn North Korea over cooperation with Russia

LONDON

The British foreign secretary and his South Korean counterpart on Wednesday condemned North Korea's continued arms transfers and the reported deployment of its troops to Russia to support Moscow's war on Ukraine.

In a joint statement, David Lammy and Cho Tae-yul condemned "in the strongest terms" North Korea over its cooperation with Russia, including the reported deployment of its troops.

"Such cooperation between Russia and the DPRK (North Korea) is not only in violation of multiple UNSC resolutions, but also prolongs the suffering of the Ukrainian people and threatens global security, including those in the ROK and the UK, and demonstrates the desperation of the DPRK and Russia," read the statement.

The two top diplomats said they are committed to providing the support Ukraine requires to secure a just and lasting peace.

The statement noted that Lammy and Tae-yul are closely monitoring what Russia provides to North Korea in return for its provision of arms and military personnel, including Russia’s possible provision of materials and technology to Pyongyang.

"We are also deeply concerned about the possibility for any transfer of nuclear or ballistic missile-related technology to the DPRK, which would jeopardize the international non-proliferation efforts and threaten peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and across the globe."

They said the security of the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic are "more closely intertwined than ever."