President Yoon Suk Yeol on Oct. 15 holds a Cabinet meeting at the Office of the President in Seoul. (Office of the President)

By Park Hye Ri

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Oct. 21 in a phone conversation with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte shared information on North Korea's troop dispatch to Russia and discussed joint responses. 

The Office of the President quoted President Yoon as saying, "Russia's invasion of Ukraine and reckless military connection with North Korea are fundamentally shaking the rule-based international order and threatening peace on the Korean Peninsula and the world," adding, "The government will never sit idly by."

"The government will keep a close eye on developments in Russia and the North and take active measures in stages based on progress in military cooperation between Moscow and Pyeongyang," he said. "Within this process, we hope to work with NATO and its member nations to explore practical responses."

Expressing grave concern over the North's dispatch, which he called a direct violation of international law and United Nations Security Council resolutions, Secretary General Rutte said NATO is ready to cooperate with South Korea to respond to Russia-North Korea military cooperation, which threats global peace and safety.

He urged Seoul to send a delegation to NATO to share data and suggested boosting cooperation in the defense industry and security dialogue among South Korea, Ukraine and NATO to respond if the North sends more soldiers to Russia.

President Yoon said, "We hope that the procedure for joining NATO's Battlefield Information Collection and Exploitation Systems is quickly finalized so that we can communicate with NATO in real time and share data safely and effectively."

The NATO chief responded by saying he would strive to ensure swift progress.

Both leaders pledged to closely look for any illegal cooperation between Moscow and Pyeongyang such as transfer of sensitive technology to Russia, as well as review joint measures for this purpose.

President Yoon also congratulated Secretary General Rutte's inauguration to this post on Oct. 1, saying, "I look forward to working closely together so that Korea and NATO can jointly contribute to the security of the Indo-Pacific and the Atlantic."

hrhr@korea.kr