- After the Group of Seven major industrialized nations summit in Hiroshima, Japan, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met with European Union officials.
- Leaders agreed that the EU and South Korea must “maintain and increase collective pressure on Russia, in particular through the effective implementation of their respective restrictive measures”.
- Leaders also agreed to ask North Korea to cease actions that have raised military tensions in the region and to return to nuclear disarmament talks.
The leaders of South Korea and the European Union agreed on Monday to increase pressure on Russia for its war against Ukraine and to condemn North Korea’s ballistic missile tests.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met with European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Seoul after attending the weekend summit of the Group of Seven Major Industrialized Countries in Hiroshima, Japan.
“We agree to maintain and increase collective pressure on Russia, in particular through the effective implementation of the respective restrictive measures,” they said in a joint statement. “We are committed to supporting Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction and remain determined to support Ukraine for as long as needed.”
Michel said Russia’s continued attacks on Ukraine demonstrate that deeper cooperation between the EU and South Korea “is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity”.
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The three leaders called on North Korea to cease actions that increase military tensions and return to nuclear disarmament talks.
“The European Union will never accept (North Korea’s) possession of nuclear weapons as a normal situation, just as we do not accept Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine,” von der Leyen said at a joint press conference.
South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol, center, poses for a photo with European Council President Charles Michel, left, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during their meeting in Seoul May 22, 2023. (Jung Yeon-je/Pool photo via AP)
Yoon said the three leaders recognized that North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs pose a threat beyond the Korean peninsula.
North Korea has launched about 100 missiles since the start of 2022, many of them nuclear weapons that put the mainland United States and South Korea within striking distance. Experts say North Korea believes its expanded weapons arsenal will help it wring concessions from its rivals.
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At the G7 summit, the leaders of Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada and Italy, as well as the European Union, condemned Russia’s invasion and reaffirmed their support for Ukraine. They have asked North Korea to refrain from any destabilizing or escalation actions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with some of his biggest supporters at the close of the G7 summit on Sunday, boosting his country’s war effort even as Russia claimed a battlefield victory that was quickly contested by Ukraine. Even before Zelenskyy landed on Saturday, the G7 nations had unveiled new sanctions and other measures intended to punish Moscow for its encroachment that began in February last year.
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Yoon also met Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G7 summit and promised to send demining equipment, ambulances and other items. South Korea has provided humanitarian and other support to Ukraine as it joins US-led economic sanctions against Russia, but has not directly supplied Ukraine with weapons in line with its longstanding policy of not supplying arms to countries actively involved in the conflict.
