President Yoon speaks with NATO Secretary General: “We will never overlook N. Korea's deployment”

[Anchor]

President Yoon Suk-yeol had a phone call with the NATO Secretary General to discuss joint responses to North Korea's military deployment to Russia.

President Yoon stated that he would never overlook the military closeness between North Korea and Russia.

They agreed to strengthen security cooperation, including NATO and Ukraine.

Jeong Sae-bae reports.

[Report]

This phone call between President Yoon Suk-yeol and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte was made at the request of Rutte, who took office earlier this month.

The key agenda was information sharing regarding the North Korean military's deployment to Russia and joint response measures.

President Yoon first stated that the reckless military closeness between North Korea and Russia shakes the norm-based international order and threatens peace on the Korean Peninsula and the world.

He emphasized that our government will never overlook this and will actively take phased measures in response to military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.

Secretary General Rutte also criticized North Korea's military deployment as a direct violation of international law and UN Security Council resolutions.

He further emphasized that he is ready to actively cooperate with South Korea to respond to military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.

Our government and NATO decided to jointly promote the dispatch of delegations for information sharing and to strengthen security cooperation, including Ukraine.

Rutte also mentioned on social media that "North Korea's deployment would mark a significant escalation."

Meanwhile, President Yoon also emphasized joint responses against cooperation between North Korea and Russia during a meeting with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

Secretary Lammy stated that Russia is even using counterfeit passports to draw in North Korea's military deployment and expressed a commitment to actively cooperate against security threats to Europe and South Korea.

This is KBS News, Jeong Sae-bae.