(Seoul = Yonhap News) Correspondent Choi In-young reports that Andrey Rudenko, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, criticized the South Korean ambassador to Russia, Lee Do-hoon, on the local date of the 22nd, stating that pressure policies against North Korea are not helpful in resolving issues.
The Russian Foreign Ministry, in a statement to the press, disclosed that Deputy Foreign Minister Rudenko met with Ambassador Lee, emphasizing that pressure policies against North Korea, as well as joint military exercises by South Korea, the U.S., and Japan involving nuclear elements, only delay the resolution of Korean Peninsula issues which can only be found through peaceful dialogue and negotiations.
The ministry also shared that Deputy Foreign Minister Rudenko and Ambassador Lee exchanged views on the current status and prospects for the development of Russia-South Korea relations and discussed international and regional issues, including the situation on the Korean Peninsula. It was noted that this meeting took place at the request of Ambassador Lee.
Ambassador Lee regularly meets with Russian deputy foreign ministers. After each meeting, the Russian Foreign Ministry has released brief press releases stating that the two sides discussed international affairs and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
The inclusion of Russia’s critical viewpoint on South Korea’s policy towards North Korea in these press releases is somewhat unusual.
In June of the previous year, the Russian Foreign Ministry had stated that Deputy Foreign Minister Rudenko met with the ambassador and urged South Korea to reconsider its “confrontational policy that prompts heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula.”
This statement was made in the context of heightened tensions between Russia and South Korea, as South Korea had mentioned reconsidering support for Ukraine following the signing of a “comprehensive strategic partnership treaty” between North Korea and Russia.
However, this latest development comes as South Korea and Russia had just resumed a consular meeting after seven years, with Deputy Foreign Minister Rudenko meeting Yoon Joo-seok, Director General of Consular Affairs and Security from South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who was visiting Moscow. The emphasis had been on the importance of exchanges and cooperation.
Therefore, there is analysis suggesting that Russia disclosed this critique of South Korea’s policy towards North Korea, conscious of North Korea’s potential concern over improving relations between South Korea and Russia.