Seoul “will thoroughly analyze all possible scenarios to prepare countermeasures,” fearing that Pyongyang will receive military technology from Russia to modernize its armed forces.
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South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Monday called for action against “illegal military cooperation” between North Korea and Russia, which he said poses a threat to South Korea’s security.
“The recent international security situation and illegal military cooperation between North Korea and Russia pose a significant threat to our national security.”stated Yoon, quoted by the South Korean Yonhap agency.
Seoul fears that Pyongyang can receive military technology from Russia in exchange for troop deployments and thus modernize its armed forces.
In a speech to Seoul’s parliament read by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Yoon pledged to strengthen security and defense in the context of sending North Korean troops to Russia to support the war in Ukraine.
“We will exhaustively analyze all possible scenarios to prepare countermeasures”he stated, also quoted by the Spanish agency Europa Press.
Yoon said that Seoul strengthened its alliance with the United States and its cooperation with Japanand said it will continue to increase defense capabilities and preparedness for possible attacks by North Korea.
He also promised to expand support for North Korean defectors and raise international awareness of human rights issues in North Korea.
“We will work to expand the international community’s understanding and support for the vision of a free and unified Korea,” he said, referring to an option ruled out by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
The two Koreas have been divided since the 1950-1953 war.
The South Korean authorities calculate the North Korea has already sent 11,000 troops to Russia to be deployed in the war against Ukraine.
Seoul said Pyongyang paid about $2,000 (about 1,850 euros at current exchange rates) a month to each soldier and that the force was being trained in Russia, given the technical differences between the two armies.
Government sources have admitted the possibility that some of the soldiers will be deployed in combat zones with Ukrainian forces, although this does not necessarily imply entry into Ukraine and could be limited to the Kursk front in Russia.
The speech read by the South Korean prime minister aimed to present the budget for 2025, worth 677.4 billion won (445.2 billion euros), an increase of 3.2% compared to the previous year.
Yoon said the budget proposal focuses on the government’s reform agenda in the health, pension, labor and education sectors, to address the challenges posed by a low birth rate and an aging population.
It was the first time in 11 years that a sitting president chose not to personally present the budget to the National Assembly, a decision criticized by the parliamentary leader.
“The president’s refusal to deliver the budget speech is a violation of the people’s rights. As the leader of the National Assembly, which represents the public, I am deeply sorry,” Democrat Woo Won-sik said, according to Yonhap.
While previous presidents only gave the budget speech in the first year of their term and delegated it to the prime minister in subsequent years, former President Park Geun-hye established the practice of doing so annually starting in 2013.
Yoon’s decision not to deliver the speech halfway through his five-year term comes amid worsening political conflicts between the ruling People Power Party and the Democratic Party.the main opposition formation, according to Yonghap.
Source: Observadora
