Korean president calls on Xi Jinping to help stop DPRK's military cooperation with Russia

Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to help stop the DPRK's provocations, Pyongyang's deepening military cooperation with Moscow, and North Korea's support for Russia's war against Ukraine.

Korea's Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo said this at a briefing, Ukrinform reports citing Yonhap.

"I hope that our two nations will cooperate to promote stability and peace in the region in response to North Korea's repeated provocations, the war in Ukraine and military cooperation between Russia and North Korea," Yoon made the remark at a summit with Xi on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in Lima.

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Yoon described China as an "important country" for close cooperation in areas of security, economy, culture and people-to-people exchanges, saying that he expects the two nations to develop their strategic cooperative partnership based on "mutual respect, reciprocity, and common interests."

In response, Xi said China does not want escalating tension on the Korean Peninsula, expressing hope for the parties involved to pursue a peaceful resolution through dialogue and negotiations for "a political solution".

“While the global and regional situation has changed a lot over the past two years, China-South Korea relations have overall maintained momentum for development," Xi said.

He also said the two countries should pursue the "healthy and steady" development of bilateral ties to contribute more to regional peace, stability and prosperity and bring benefits to people of both nations.

During the meeting, the two leaders agreed to continue their discussions and further enhance bilateral relations.

Beijing recently added South Korea to its list of temporary visa waiver countries, a move cautiously welcomed by Seoul as a step toward improving bilateral ties. South Korea expressed hope that this decision would help foster a more "friendly sentiment" between the two nations.

Photo from Yonhap website