▲ North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (L) shakes hands with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu during their meeting at the headquarters of the Workers' Party of Korea's Central Committee in Pyongyang on July 26, 2023, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. A Russian military delegation, led by Shoigu, has visited the North to celebrate the 70th anniversary the next day of the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution)

foreign ministry-NK-Russia defense talks

S. Korea stresses arms trade with N. Korea illegal amid Pyongyang-Moscow defense talks

SEOUL, July 27 (Yonhap) -- Seoul's foreign ministry on Thursday stressed that any form of weapons trade between North Korea and other nations would constitute a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions, following high-level defense talks held between Pyongyang and Moscow this week.

According to Russian news agency TASS, North Korean Defense Minister Kang Sun-nam and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu, held talks in Pyongyang on Wednesday to discuss the strengthening of bilateral defense ties.

Shoigu was in Pyongyang leading an official Russian delegation to attend commemorative events by the North marking the 70th anniversary of the signing of the 1950-53 Korean War armistice agreement Thursday.

The meeting has raised speculation that the two sides may have discussed the provision of North Korean weapons to Russia to support Moscow in its war with Ukraine.

Ahn Eun-ju, deputy spokesperson for the Seoul ministry, stressed during a regular press briefing that all and any types of "weapons trade with North Korea is banned under U.N. Security Council resolutions."

She said Seoul was "closely monitoring" developments related to the latest defense talks between the two countries. Ahn added that Seoul hopes for the Russian delegation's visit to "contribute to the cessation of provocations and (Pyongyang's) return to dialogue for denuclearization."

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