South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese PM Fumio Kishida vowed to enhance security cooperation with NATO amid growing military collaboration between North Korea and Russia. The two leaders made the commitment during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington, where they joined leaders from four Indo-Pacific partner nations. The NATO summit came soon after Putin and Kim Jong-un's security cooperation agreement, which has raised concerns in the region and beyond. Yoon stressed the significance of trilateral security cooperation between South Korea, the US, and Japan, while Kishida condemned North Korea's arms exports to Russia, echoing the strong condemnation in the summit declaration issued by NATO leaders.
South Korea and Japan Enhance Security Cooperation amid North Korea-Russia Ties
At the recent NATO summit in Washington, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged to strengthen security cooperation in response to growing military collaboration between North Korea and Russia.
Background
The NATO summit came after Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed to a security cooperation agreement. This has raised concerns in South Korea, Japan, and the wider international community.
South Korea and Japan have a long-standing history of tense relations with North Korea. North Korea has repeatedly launched ballistic missiles and conducted nuclear tests, threatening the stability of the region.
Current Developments
During their bilateral meeting at the NATO summit, Yoon and Kishida vowed to enhance security cooperation in the following areas:
Yoon emphasized the importance of trilateral security cooperation between South Korea, the US, and Japan. Kishida condemned North Korea's arms exports to Russia, which were strongly condemned in the NATO summit declaration.
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