▲ The Presidential Office
An official from the Presidential Office stated on June 13 (local time) regarding the recent joint statement by South Korea and the European Union (EU) criticizing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, saying, "It does not go beyond the South Korean government's existing position."
Previously, President Lee Jae-myung, President of the European Council António Costa, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen held a summit in Brussels on June 10 and adopted a joint statement containing phrases such as, "We strongly condemn the illegal military cooperation between Russia and North Korea," and "North Korea will never be accepted as a nuclear-weapon state under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)."
The official, who is accompanying President Lee Jae-myung on his European tour, met with reporters on this day and explained, "The stance on military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, as well as the position on North Korean human rights, are simply expressions of the positions the South Korean government has already stated." The official added, "The same applies to the North Korean nuclear issue. There is nothing new."
The official continued, "While the EU holds slightly more hardline opinions, what is reflected in the statement is the position we have taken so far."
The official emphasized, "We do not believe (this statement) will create new burdens in our relations with Russia or North Korea."
Meanwhile, regarding observations that the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to end the war between the United States and Iran is nearing, the official said, "We do not have precise intelligence," but explained, "There are signs that they are approaching a ceasefire (end-of-war) agreement. We sense circumstances where both sides are moving toward a ceasefire."
The official added, "It seems they are in the final stages of coordinating the text," and noted, "(The clauses under discussion) are not significantly different from our previous predictions. It appears to cover issues such as the nuclear issue, the processing of enriched uranium, and the Strait of Hormuz."
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.