South Korea voiced “deep regret” Tuesday after Russia expressed support for North Korea’s claim that Seoul flew drones into Pyongyang, and characterized the alleged acts as an infringement of sovereignty and interference in internal affairs.
Seoul’s foreign ministry issued the statement after Moscow’s comments that it considers the drone allegations as “interference in internal affairs” by the South and a “gross encroachment on the sovereignty” of North Korea.
The comments from Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for Russia’s foreign ministry, came as the North has accused the South of sending unmanned drones carrying anti-Pyongyang leaflets over its capital three times this month.
Tensions have heightened between the two divided Koreas amid the drone allegations and the North’s continued sending of trash-filled balloons across the border into the South.
“We express deep regret over the fact that the Russian foreign ministry has sided with North Korea’s one-sided claims, and spoken of sovereignty infringement a
nd interference in internal affairs,” a foreign ministry official in Seoul said.
The official said all responsibility for the recent provocations that have destabilized the region lies with the North.
“We urge Russia to explain why it has taken no action over the North’s past instances of its drone provocations, which was confirmed that it was the North that was responsible,” the official said.
The official called on Russia to play a “constructive role” as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council and persuade the North to refrain from its deliberate actions to heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Russia and North Korea have grown increasingly close over the past years and signed a new partnership treaty at the leaders’ summit in Pyongyang in June that includes a mutual defense clause.
In a separate statement, South Korea also reiterated its call for Moscow to stop its illegal military cooperation with Pyongyang, after Russia media reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin submitted a bi
ll to ratify the new treaty with North Korea.
Russia’s Sputnik agency said Monday (local time) that Putin submitted the bill to the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, for the ratification of the “comprehensive strategic partnership” treaty signed between Moscow and Pyongyang in June.
“We have made it clear that any cooperation between Russia and North Korea must strictly comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions and international law, and must not pose a threat to our security,” Seoul’s foreign ministry said.
“We will work with the international community to firmly respond to any actions that threaten our security,” it added.
On Sunday, the North warned of a “horrible disaster” if South Korea sends more drones over the North’s capital.
Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of the North’s leader, issued a series of sharp-tongued statements accusing South Korea of flying drones into Pyongyang. She claimed Monday that the South Korean military was behind the alleged drone infiltration, wi
thout providing evidence.
In response to North Korea’s military threat, South Korea’s defense ministry has warned that the North will face “the end of its regime” if it causes any harm to South Korean people. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff has said it could not confirm whether the North’s drone claims were true.
Source: Yonhap News Agency
