South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said that military cooperation between Russia and North Korea must end and that Pyongyang should not benefit from its illegal actions, with which it contributes to the end of the war in Ukraine, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
The top South Korean diplomat said this in the Japanese capital Tokyo, where he met with his colleagues from Japan - Takeshi Iwaya, and from China - Wang Yi.
Cho noted that it is important for South Korea, Japan and China to strictly implement UN sanctions on North Korea and to make efforts to stop North Korea's provocations and for its complete denuclearization.
Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya, in turn, stated - in connection with the Russian invasion of Ukraine - that "no change" with the status quo at the Ukrainian state borders is not acceptable and that the international community must be united in its position on the impossibility of such redrawing, reported Agence France-Presse.
The East Asian neighbors are looking for common ground in their views on regional security and economic development against the backdrop of growing geopolitical uncertainty, the world agency noted.
"Given the sharp complication of the international situation, I believe that we may indeed be at a turning point in history", said Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya at the beginning of the meeting with his colleagues from China - Wang Yi, and from South Korea - Cho Tae-yul.
"Thus, overcoming disunity and opposition through dialogue and cooperation becomes even more important," he added.
On the agenda of the meeting - the first between the top diplomats of the three Asian powers since 2023, issues ranging from North Korea's nuclear program to trade have been on the agenda.
The foreign ministers' talks are seen as preparation for a new trilateral summit of the leaders of these countries, such as the one held in the South Korean capital Seoul last year.
Iwaya will have separate bilateral meetings with his counterparts from South Korea and China, including the first high-level economic dialogue with Beijing in 6 years.
Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said during his meeting with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu that his country would continue to support Moscow's efforts to protect Russia's national integrity, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA, citing information from Pyongyang from today's DPRK central agency - KCTA.
Shoigu arrived in North Korea yesterday and held talks with Kim, the Russian state agency TASS reported. The two discussed ways to further expand exchanges and cooperation between Russia and North Korea in various fields, including security, the KCTA reported, without giving details.