Japan, US and South Korea foreign ministers say North Korea-Russia agreement seriously threatens peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula

On the evening of the 20th (local time), South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yol, who is visiting the United States, held successive telephone conferences with U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, and discussed countermeasures for the North Korea-Russia summit.
In a telephone interview with the Japanese and U.S. foreign ministers on the 20th (local time), Minister Cho said that Russia and North Korea have agreed to establish mutual military and economic cooperation through the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
They shared the view that the decision to strengthen military forces poses a serious threat to the security of the United States and South Korea, and to Japan and South Korea, respectively, and to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the region.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the US and South Korean ministers "strongly condemned" this and that their Japanese and South Korean counterparts "expressed serious concern."
Minister Cho said any cooperation that would directly or indirectly help North Korea increase its military power is a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions, and announced the independent sanctions against North Korea that the government had imposed the previous day.
He explained to the two ministers the response measures, including the new designation of export control items for Russia and the United States. He also proposed that the United States, South Korea, Japan, South Korea, and Japan, the United States, and South Korea cooperate closely to lead the international community's firm response.
"The United States actively supports the legitimate measures taken by the South Korean side in response to security threats," Blinken said, adding, "Based on the robust US-ROK alliance, we will stand firm together against any threats."
The US also said it would actively consider various measures to respond to the threat posed by North Korea and Russia to international peace and stability, including on the Korean Peninsula.
The US and ROK Ministers will continue to closely monitor related developments and will maintain seamless cooperation based on the solid US-ROK alliance in the face of North Korea's provocations and increasing tensions against the South.
They also agreed to work to strengthen the extended deterrent power of the U.S.-ROK alliance and Japan-U.S.-ROK security cooperation to neutralize North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.
The U.S. State Department said on the 21st that Secretary Blinken and Secretary Cho had spoken about South Korea's repeated actions against Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the Japanese and South Korean ministers agreed to strengthen Japan-US-South Korea security cooperation in order to effectively respond to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and North Korea-Russia military cooperation.