Russian Embassy in Seoul denies any military deal with North Korea

By Anadolu staff

The Russian Embassy in Seoul on Wednesday rejected reports that Moscow and Pyongyang discussed military cooperation at last week's bilateral summit between President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Yonhap news agency reported.

The Russian mission in a statement said it "directly informed our Korean partners that the speculations circulated by American and South Korean media on this topic are unfounded."

Moscow adheres to all the "international commitments it has undertaken, including those related to the development of mutually beneficial relations with our good neighbor and long-standing partner, North Korea," it stressed.

The statement came after South Korea's Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian envoy on Tuesday and called on Russia to immediately end military ties with North Korea and comply with the UN Security Council resolutions.

The North Korean leader arrived back in Pyongyang via his private train on Tuesday night, state news agency KCNA said.

Kim, during his week-long tour, met Putin, Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu and visited several military sites and inspected Russian defense technology.

While North Korea is under raft of global sanctions for its nuclear weapon tests, Moscow has been sanctioned for its “special military operation” in Ukraine that started in February 2022.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid