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| ▲ President Yoon Suk Yeol (R) and Polish President Andrzej Duda shakes hands during a summit ceremony held at the presidential office in Seoul on Oct. 24, 2024. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ President Yoon Suk Yeol (R) and Polish President Andrzej Duda speak during a joint press conference at the presidential office in Seoul on Oct. 24, 2024. (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) S Korea-Poland-summit
(LEAD) Yoon says S. Korea will never 'sit idle' in response to N.K.'s troop dispatch to Russia
(ATTN: CHANGES headline, lead; UPDATES throughout with latest details, comments)
By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, Oct. 24 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol said Thursday that South Korea will never "sit idle" in response to North Korea's troop dispatch to Russia and take necessary measures "step by step," depending on the extent of the military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.
Yoon made the remarks after a summit with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Seoul, during which both leaders strongly condemned North Korea's troop dispatch to Russia and agreed to strengthen joint responses to growing security threats.
During the summit, Yoon and Duda denounced North Korea's nuclear and missile development as well as its "illegal" military cooperation with Russia.
"We agreed that North Korea's troop dispatch to Russia is a direct violation of the U.N. Charter and U.N. Security Council resolutions, and is a provocation that threatens global security beyond the Korean Peninsula and Europe," Yoon said in a joint press conference.
"The Republic of Korea will never sit idle over this and take necessary measures step by step in coordination with the international community depending on the development of N. Korea-Russia military cooperation," he added.
On Wednesday, South Korea's spy agency and the White House confirmed around 3,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to eastern Russia for training, with the potential for additional deployments in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Yoon also pledged support for South Korea's efforts to sign an additional deal with Poland to supply K2 tanks by the end of the year, estimated at around US$7 billion.
In 2022, Poland signed major defense contracts with South Korea, valued at 17 trillion won (US$12.4 billion), to purchase K2 tanks, K9 self-propelled howitzers, FA-50 light attack aircraft and Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers to bolster its military capabilities amid Russia-Ukraine war.
Following the initial agreements, Poland signed a $2.67 billion deal for K9 in December 2023 and a $1.64 billion agreement for Chunmoo rocket systems in April.
Duda said he is "very satisfied" with South Korean weapons deployed in the Polish military, and highlighted the potential for expanding cooperation in joint production and marketing.
"We look forward to seeing these Korean-made weapons produced in Poland in the future and hope that the weapons manufactured in Poland can be exported to other European countries as well," Duda said through a translator during the conference.
On the last day of Duda's four-day state visit on Friday, the Polish president will visit major defense companies, including Hyundai Rotem, the maker of the K2 tank, and Hanwha Aerospace, the manufacturer of the K9 howitzer.
The two leaders also agreed to activate regular consultation mechanisms between their defense and military authorities to enhance cooperation and collaborate on Ukraine's reconstruction efforts.
In addition, they committed to expanding collaboration in energy, infrastructure and advanced technologies, including batteries, electric vehicles, robotics and clean energy, according to Yoon's office.
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