Official says statement adds no new burden to Pyongyang, Moscow ties; notes signs both US and Iran are moving toward a truce agreement

President Lee Jae Myung holds a joint press conference with European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the EU Council headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday. [Yonhap]
President Lee Jae Myung holds a joint press conference with European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the EU Council headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday. [Yonhap]

By Jung Yoon-hee, The Herald Business

A Cheong Wa Dae official said Saturday that the joint statement recently adopted by South Korea and the European Union criticizing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia does not go beyond the South Korean government's existing position.

The statement followed summit talks in Brussels on Wednesday, where President Lee Jae Myung met with European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. It included language "strongly condemning the illegal military cooperation between Russia and North Korea" and stating that North Korea "will never be recognized as a nuclear-weapon state under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty."

The official, who is accompanying Lee on his European tour, told reporters that the statement simply reflected positions the South Korean government had already made public. "Our stance on Russia-North Korea military cooperation, on North Korean human rights — these are positions we have already announced, expressed as-is in the statement," the official said. "The same goes for the North Korean nuclear issue. There is nothing new."

The official added that while the EU holds somewhat stronger views on some issues, "what is reflected in the statement is the position we have maintained all along."

Addressing concerns that affirming firm principles on North Korea's nuclear program while also calling for reduced tensions on the Korean Peninsula might be contradictory, the official said the two goals are not in conflict. "Denuclearization and the establishment of peace are simultaneous objectives," the official said, adding that the statement was not expected to create any new burden in relations with Russia or North Korea.

On reports that the United States and Iran are close to signing a memorandum of understanding to end their conflict, the official said detailed intelligence was not available but noted signs of movement. "There are indications that both sides are approaching a truce agreement," the official said. "We sense that both parties are moving toward a ceasefire."

The official added that the two sides appeared to be in final coordination over the text of the agreement. "The provisions under discussion do not differ greatly from our existing expectations — they appear to cover the nuclear issue, the handling of enriched uranium, and the Strait of Hormuz, among other matters," the official said.

Asked whether a South Korea-US summit could take place on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France, which Lee is scheduled to attend soon, the official was cautious. "If the opportunity arises, a conversation could happen, but it is difficult to say at this point whether that will come together," the official said.


yuni@heraldcorp.com