SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Russia’s foreign minister on Saturday warned the U.S., South Korea and Japan against forming a security partnership targeting North Korea as he visited his country’s ally for talks on further solidifying their booming military and other cooperation.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke at North Korea’s eastern Wonsan city, where he met the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, and conveyed greetings from President Vladimir Putin.
Relations between Russia and North Korea have been flourishing in recent years, with North Korea supplying troops and ammunition to support Russia’s war against Ukraine in return for military and economic assistance. That has raised concerns among South Korea, the U.S. and others that Russia might also transfer to North Korea sensitive technologies that can increase the danger of its nuclear and missile programs.
Speaking with reporters after a meeting with his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui, Lavrov accused the U.S., South Korea and Japan of what he called their military buildups around North Korea.
“We warn against exploiting these ties to build alliances directed against anyone, including North Korea and, of course, Russia,” he said, according to Russia’s state Tass news agency.
The U.S., South Korea and Japan have been expanding or restoring their trilateral military exercises in response to North Korea’s advancing nuclear program. On Friday, the three countries held a joint air drill involving U.S. nuclear-capable bombers near the Korean Peninsula, as their top military officers met in Seoul and urged North Korea to cease all unlawful activities that threaten regional security.
North Korea views major U.S.-led military drills as invasion rehearsals. It has long argued that it’s forced to develop nuclear weapons to defend itself from U.S. military threats.
Lavrov said Russia understands North Korea’s decision to seek nuclear weapons.
“The technologies used by North Korea are the result of the work of its own scientists. We respect North Korea’s aspirations and understand the reasons why it is pursuing nuclear development,” Lavrov said, according to Tass.
During their meeting, Choe reiterated that North Korea “unconditionally” supports Russia’s fight against Ukraine, as Lavrov repeated Russia’s gratitude for the contribution that North Korean troops made in efforts to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk border region.
Wonsan city, the meeting venue, is where North Korea recently opened a mammoth beach resort that it says can accommodate nearly 20,000 people.
In his comments at the start of his meeting with Choe, Lavrov said that “I am sure that Russian tourists will be increasingly eager to come here. We will do everything we can to facilitate this, creating conditions for this, including air travel,” according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The Wonsan-Kalma tourist zone is at the center of Kim’s push to boost tourism as a way to improve his country’s troubled economy. However, prospects for the tourist complex aren’t clear, as North Korea appears unlikely to fully reopen its borders and embrace Western tourists anytime soon.
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Associated Press reporter Elise Morton in Athens, Greece, contributed to this report.
