South Korea: Han, Japan PM agree to continue trilateral cooperation with US against North Korea-Russia ties

Seoul (The Uttam Hindu): South Korea's Acting President Han Duck-soo held phone talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Thursday and agreed to continue trilateral security cooperation with the United States to cope with the deepening military ties between North Korea and Russia, officials said.

Han held the phone conversation with Ishiba after President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached by the National Assembly last Saturday over his short-lived imposition of martial law on December 3. The two sides agreed to work together to stably maintain and develop bilateral ties and closely communicate to prepare for the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of normalising diplomatic ties next year, Han's office said.

"The two sides agreed on the need to continue close cooperation between South Korea and Japan, as well as among South Korea, the United States and Japan, in the face of the North Korean nuclear threat and the deepening collaboration between Russia and North Korea," the office said in a release, Yonhap news agency reported. Han also assured Ishiba that all state affairs will be run strictly in accordance with the Constitution and the law and vowed to conduct diplomacy and security policies without delay, it said.

Earlier on December 16, the Ukrainian military has released photos and footage of what appear to be dozens of North Korean soldiers killed along with Russian troops in Russia's western Kursk border region. Earlier, South Korea and the US have accused North Korea of sending thousands of soldiers to Russia, with some of them engaging in combat in the western Kursk border region. Last month, it was reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held a meeting with Russia's visiting Defence Minister and expressed his support for Russia's war efforts against Ukraine. In the meeting, Kim Jong-un condemned the US and the West for permitting Ukraine to use supplied long-range missiles for strikes against Russia, calling the move a 'direct' military intervention. According to the Pyongyang's state media Kim had a "friendly and trustworthy" meeting with Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov on November 29 amid reports of North Korea sending thousands of its troops to Russia in support of Moscow's war against Ukraine.