S Korea, US ‘closely monitoring’ potential Putin-Kim meeting in Pyongyang
Al Jazeera
Russia has promised Putin will visit North Korea after hosting its leader Kim Jong Un in the Russian Far East last September.
South Korean and United States officials have warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to North Korea, which could take place this month and deepen military ties, would be a breach of United Nations Security Council resolutions.
According to Seoul’s foreign ministry on Friday, Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun said in an emergency phone call with US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell that Putin’s visit should not result in more military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.
“While closely monitoring related developments, the two sides agreed to resolutely respond through airtight cooperation to North Korea’s provocations against South Korea and actions that escalate tensions in the region,” the ministry said in a statement.
Campbell also pledged continued cooperation to tackle potential regional instability and challenges caused by the visit.
Rumours about the trip began on Monday after Russia’s Vedomosti newspaper reported that Putin would visit North Korea and Vietnam in the coming weeks.
