SEOUL: North Korea on Monday criticized South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for expressing concern about its cooperation with Russia following Kim Jong Un’s visit to Russia, adding it is “natural” and “normal” for neighbors to maintain close ties, Western media reported.
North Korea Slams South Korean President’s Statement
Yoon Suk Yeol, speaking at the UNGA in New York, said that if Moscow helped Pyongyang boost its arms programs in return for assistance in the Ukraine war, it would be “a direct provocation.”
KCNA news agency reported that North Korea condemned Yoon for “malignantly” slandering its friendly ties with Russia, and said the South Korean President was serving as a “loudspeaker” for the US.
It added that it was quite natural for neighboring nations to keep close ties with each other, and there is no cause to call such effort to account.
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Kim returned to North Korea last week from a visit to Russia in which he and President Putin agreed to boost defense and economic cooperation.
South Korean and US officials have expressed concern that Moscow could be making efforts to acquire ammunition from North Korea to supplement its stocks for the war in Ukraine while North Korea seeks technological assistance for its nuclear programs.
KCNA said, “The foreign policy of North Korea … will not be linked to anything, and its ties with the close neighbors will continue to increase stronger,”.
