South Korean President Moon Jae In and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have called for more efforts to stop North Korea’s provocations as soon as possible..
South Korean President Moon Jae In and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have called for more efforts to stop North Korea’s provocations as soon as possible.
But Mr Putin said sanctions and pressure alone are not the solution, appearing to reject Mr Moon’s request for help to pressure the North with more sanctions, including cutting off its oil supplies.
« We should not succumb to emotions and drive North Korea into a corner, » Mr Putin said at a joint press conference, reiterating concerns that an oil ban would hurt ordinary North Koreans.
Russia exports about 40,000 tonnes of crude oil to North Korea a year, said Mr Putin, compared with about 520,000 tonnes a year from China, said industry sources.
The two leaders held a summit yesterday in the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok, three days after North Korea claimed it tested a missile-ready hydrogen bomb. This marks the regime’s sixth nuclear test and follows a flurry of missile tests, including two intercontinental ballistic missiles fired in July.
There will be more of such « gift packages » targeting the US if it continues to pressure Pyongyang, the regime’s United Nations envoy Han Tae Song said on Tuesday.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry also warned of more activity from the North yesterday.
To counter the North’s threat, South Korea’s Defence Ministry will install four remaining launchers of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (Thaad) missile shield at its Seongju base today, despite protests from residents and an ongoing environmental impact assessment.
