Lee, EU leaders condemn North Korea-Russia military cooperation in joint statement

BRUSSELS — President Lee Jae Myung and leaders of the European Union strongly condemned military cooperation between North Korea and Russia in a joint statement issued after a South Korea-European Union summit in Brussels on Wednesday.

“We strongly condemn Russia-DPRK illegal military cooperation,” the leaders said in the joint statement. DPRK is the acronym for the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Lee met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa in Brussels on Wednesday, where the leaders issued a joint statement strongly condemning military cooperation between North Korea and Russia.

It marks the first time the Lee Jae Myung administration has used the phrase “strongly condemn” in reference to North Korea.

Last June, on the first anniversary of the signing of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty between North Korea and Russia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called for an immediate halt to illegal military cooperation between the two countries but only said it had “serious concerns.” Around the same time, a senior presidential official described the North's decision to send an additional 6,000 military engineering and construction personnel to Russia as “a matter of concern” and said, “We do not support” the deployment.

The war in Ukraine was another issue discussed at the summit.

“We condemn support by third parties, in particular the DPRK, which enables Russia to sustain its war of aggression against Ukraine,” read the joint statement.

The leaders also said, “We urge Russia and the DPRK to immediately cease all such activities and abide by the United Nations Charter and all relevant UN Security Council resolutions.”

On North Korea's nuclear program, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to “the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula consistent with relevant UN Security Council resolutions.”

Some say the stronger language towards North Korea — such as saying "strongly condemn" — in the latest statement likely reflects the EU's position, as the bloc has actively supported Ukraine and maintained strong sanctions against Russia.

Compared with a joint statement issued after the South Korea-France summit in April, which only called for “an immediate halt to illegal military cooperation between Russia and North Korea,” the language in the EU statement was notably stronger.

The joint statement with the EU also included support for the South Korean government's efforts to promote peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

“We support the ROK’s efforts to resume inter-Korean dialogue through proactive de-escalation and confidence-building measures, aiming to achieve peaceful coexistence and shared growth on the Korean Peninsula by expanding inter-Korean exchanges, normalisation of relations and achieving denuclearisation,” the statement said, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.

The two sides also said they recognized that “a substantial improvement in the DPRK human rights situation is essential” and called on North Korea to allow access to international and humanitarian organizations.

Lee has also repeatedly sought international support for his administration's efforts to ease tensions and build trust on the Korean Peninsula.

However, the separate joint press statement delivered by Lee after the summit didn't include language condemning North Korea.

“We agreed to work closely together for peace, stability and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in the international community,” Lee said.

“At today’s meeting, I requested the European Union’s unwavering support and constructive role in resolving the North Korean nuclear issue and establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula, and we agreed to continue working together,” he added.

The two sides also agreed to broaden the Korea-EU strategic partnership across security and economic sectors.

"We agree to work towards the launch of negotiations for a Security of Information Agreement to facilitate the exchange of classified information and pave the way for our stronger cooperation, including in areas related to security and defense," the joint statement read.

The proposed agreement comes as growing uncertainty in the international order has underscored the close links between security in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region.

In the economic sphere, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening and reforming the World Trade Organization while deepening cooperation in trade, investment, supply chains, digital technologies, advanced industries, energy and innovation.

South Korea and the EU also signed a digital trade agreement aimed at facilitating paperless trade and the use of electronic authentication and signatures.

"We underscore the importance of further deepening our bilateral cooperation in areas of strategic importance for our economies, notably trade, investment, supply chains, digital, advanced technologies, energy and innovation," the joint statement said.

The two sides also agreed to launch a high-level energy dialogue to coordinate cooperation on energy security, energy systems and the energy transition.

“We see strong potential in the areas of hydrogen and offshore wind, and there is great potential to develop business partnerships in the nuclear energy space, including small modular reactors,” von der Leyen said in a statement released after the summit.

"This will help strengthen our energy security at a critical time and enhance our competitiveness over the long term. Here, too, I welcome that we launch a dedicated high-level energy dialogue."

BY OH HYUN-SEOK [[email protected]]