Seoul Calls On Russia To Halt Military Cooperation With North Korea

Wires carrying comments from South Korea's Foreign Ministry urging Russia, "to immediately halt moves to expand military cooperation with North Korea," following the conclusion of a six-day Russia trip from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

• According to Reuters, South Korea MFA, "...vows stern responses... any action threatening its security will face clear consequences."
• NBC reports: "Kim’s trip, highlighted by a summit with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin [last] Wednesday, has underscored how their interests are aligning in the face of separate, intensifying confrontations with the West."
• Kim's Russia trip appears to lend credence to the suggestion that Western opposition to Russia's war in Ukraine may contribute to an elevated risk environment in other previously unconnected geopolitical spheres - including Iran, Belarus, and North Korea.
• The NYT writes: "...an increasingly isolated Russia, armed with nuclear weapons and advanced military technology, finds less to lose in enabling Washington’s most dangerous foes."
• The risk environment on the Korean Penninsula has also been elevated since US President Joe Biden and ROK President Yoon Suk Yeol signed an enhanced nuclear partnership in April which includes periodic visits from nuclear-capable US submarines for the first time in four decades.