U.S. top diplomat visits S. Korea as N. Korea, Russia strengthen military ties

한미 외교장관 “러•북 군사협력에 큰 우려 중국 건설적 역할 해야“ Good evening. Thank you for joining us. I’m Yoon Jung-min. South Korean foreign minister Park Jin and his U.S. counterpart Antony Blinken held a meeting here in Seoul for a wide range of talks including North Korea, economic security, and global matters. For more, we have our foreign affairs correspondent Bae Eun-ji on the line. Eun-ji, tell us what they had to say on North Korea’s deepening military ties with Russia. Well Jung-min, after arriving in South Korea last night, Blinken sat down for talks with Seoul’s Foreign Minister this afternoon. The meeting went on for a little more than an hour and they addressed a wide range of issues, especially the growing concerns about North Korea’s arms cooperation with Russia. In a joint press conference afterward, Blinken explained that the U.S. is seeing a “two-way street“ when it comes to ties between Pyongyang and Moscow. He said the U.S. is seeing North Korea provide military equipment to Russia for pursuing its aggression in Ukraine, and that they’re also seeing Russia provide technology and support for the North, for its own military programs. He stressed the importance of China’s role in pulling North Korea back from what he called the regime’s “irresponsible and dangerous behavior.“ He explained that China has “real influence“ on North Korea as a result of its unique relationship with the North, and said they look to China to use that influence. Seoul’s foreign minister Park Jin also said Seoul and Washington will work together to call on China to play its role, to make sure this kind of “dangerous deal“ between Pyongyang and Moscow does not happen. He added that it will not be beneficial to China’s national interests,.. if tensions in the East Asia region continue to escalate due to arms cooperation between Russia and North Korea. Right.. and I hear Blinken also met President Yoon and another senior official from the top office. That’s right. Ahead of his meeting with Park, Blinken met President Yoon over lunch. Yoon said now is a time when U.S. leadership is becoming “increasingly important,“ due to instability in the Middle East, along with the issue of North Korea, and the war in Ukraine and vowed to work closely with Washington. In response, Blinken said U.S. foreign policy remains focused on the Indo-Pacific region, and that Washington intends to further strengthen its strategic partnership with Seoul. Earlier in the day, the top U.S. diplomat also met South Korea’s National Security Advisor Cho Tae-yong, where they strongly condemned the North for providing military equipment to Russia. Blinken plans to head to India after wrapping up his trip to Seoul. That’s all I have for now at this hour. Back to you, Jung-min. #SouthKorea #UnitedStates #ParkJin #AntonyBlinken #Summit #외교장관 #박진 #안토니블링컨 #회담 #Arirang_News #아리랑뉴스 📣 Facebook : 📣 Twitter : 📣 Homepage : 2023-11-09, 18:00 (KST)