South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol warned Russia and North Korea against making any arms deals, saying Seoul and its allies would be ready to respond to the "direct provocation.”
South Korean officials have said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s recent trip to Russia could have been aimed at furthering a transfer of arms to help Moscow in its invasion of Ukraine. Yoon used an address Wednesday at the United Nations General Assembly to warn that military cooperation between the two would be a global concern.
Yoon said if the North acquires the information and technology necessary to enhance its weapons of mass destruction capabilities in exchange for supporting Russia with conventional weapons, that "will be a direct provocation threatening the peace and security of not only Ukraine but also the Republic of Korea,” referring to his country by its formal name.