SEOUL: South Korea and the European Union on Monday (Nov 4) jointly condemned North Korea’s supply of weaponry to Moscow and demanded that it withdraw troops it has sent as Russia wages war against Ukraine.
The EU and South Korea were holding their first “Strategic Dialogue” meeting in Seoul, shortly after Washington and Seoul sounded the alarm about North Korea sending soldiers to help Russia.
In a joint statement, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul condemned the North’s “unlawful arms transfers to the Russian Federation for its use in attacking Ukraine”.
They demanded an end to the “unlawful military cooperation” and a withdrawal of the North Korean forces.
Borrell also met South Korean Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun.
“Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is an existential threat,” Borrell said in a post on X that included a photo of him shaking hands with Kim. “The Republic of Korea is best positioned to understand it. We are united in our support to Ukraine. I encouraged them to step it up.”
The two countries also signed a security and defence partnership covering 15 areas including cyber security and disarmament.
