(ATTN: ADDS response from Moscow, details in paras 7-10)
SEOUL, July 8 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol said in an interview published Monday that Russia should choose whether South or North Korea is more important for its national interests amid deepening concern about military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.
Yoon made the remark in a written interview with Reuters, saying he will address the threat that military cooperation between Russia and the North poses to the Korean Peninsula and Europe at the upcoming North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit.
"Military cooperation between Russia and North Korea poses a distinct threat and grave challenge to the peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and in Europe," Yoon said in the interview.
Yoon called on Moscow to choose between the two Koreas where its true interests lie, saying the future of the bilateral relations depends on Russia's actions.
"I hope that Russia will sensibly decide which side -- the South or the North -- is more important and necessary for its own interests," he said.
South Korea has said it would consider arms supplies to Ukraine in protest of the mutual defense pact signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un last month. In response, Putin warned South Korea would be making "a big mistake" if it decided to supply arms to Ukraine.
In response to Yoon's remarks, a Kremlin spokesman said Moscow "fully disagrees" with the approach, according to Russian news agency Sputnik.
"We are in favor of building good relations with all countries in the region, both with the DPRK and South Korea," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by Sputnik, adding that it would be hard to develop such ties with those who "pursue hostile policy towards Russia."
The DPRK stands for North Korea's full name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Yoon departed for the United States later in the day to attend the NATO summit Wednesday and Thursday, his third time attending the gathering.
He will join leaders from Japan, Australia and New Zealand to discuss enhancing cooperation between the transatlantic security alliance and the Indo-Pacific region to deter threats posed by North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.
President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers a congratulatory speech during a ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of the Korea Freedom Federation at a gymnasium in Incheon, 27 kilometers west of Seoul, on July 4, 2024. (Yonhap)
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