South Korea putting efforts in managing relations with Moscow

South Korea strictly responds to threats to its security posed by the cooperation between Russia and North Korea, while putting active efforts in managing its bilateral ties with Moscow, South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Lim Soo-suk said on Thursday (4 April).

On Tuesday, Seoul imposed sanctions on two Russian vessels allegedly carrying military cargo to North Korea, as well as on two Russian individuals and two companies allegedly involved in financing and assisting Pyongyang's nuclear and missile development programs. On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Seoul's decision to impose the sanctions is an "unfriendly step," and that Moscow will respond to the actions of the South Korean authorities.

"We are making active efforts to manage ties between South Korea and Russia while strictly dealing with the illegal cooperation between Russia and North Korea," Lim was quoted by South Korean news agency Yonhap as saying at a regular briefing, when asked about the Russian reaction to Seoul's sanctions.

The Russian-North Korean cooperation should be conducted in strict accordance with the UN Security Council’s resolutions and international law, with no impact on South Korean security, the diplomat added.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly rejected all accusations of any illegal military-technical cooperation with North Korea as unfounded, saying Moscow strictly obeys all UN Security Council resolutions.