Allies vow stern measures against Russia

The top diplomats from South Korea, the United States and Japan have agreed to take stern measures against a potential arms deal between Russia and North Korea, Seoul's foreign ministry said Saturday.

According to the ministry, Seoul's Foreign Minister Park Jin met with his US counterpart, Antony Blinken, and Japanese counterpart, Yoko Kamikawa, in New York on Friday to discuss Russia-North Korea arms dealings.

Earlier this month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid growing concerns about a possible arms deal between the two nations.

Kim wants military technology cooperation from Russia to build spy satellites and other weapons, while Putin seeks more ammunition from the North for use in Ukraine.

The top diplomats expressed deep concerns over the two nations' military cooperation and warned that a potential arms deal between Pyongyang and Moscow would be in violation of UN Security Council resolutions that Russia itself voted for.

They vowed to cooperate with the global community to sternly deal with any threats to regional security in violation of the UNSC resolutions, according to the ministry. (Yonhap)