Seoul, June 21 (IANS) South Korea summoned the top Russian envoy in Seoul on Friday to lodge a protest over a new treaty signed with North Korea that calls for immediate military assistance if either is attacked.
First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun called in Russian Ambassador Georgy Zinoviev to deliver Seoul’s position on the “comprehensive strategic partnership” treaty inked between Moscow and Pyongyang at their leaders’ summit on Wednesday, Yonhap news agency reported.
The treaty provides for military and other assistance from one side to the other “with all means” at its disposal and “without delay” if either of the two gets invaded or put in a state of war.
Article 4 of the treaty is seen as warranting automatic military intervention in the event of an attack on either country, a provision that restores the Cold War-era alliance 28 years after their mutual defence treaty was scrapped in 1996.
Kim was expected to stress that Russia’s military cooperation with the North is a clear violation of the UN Security Council resolutions banning activities that would help Pyongyang’s arms buildup.
He was also expected to make it clear to Russia about the possibility of Seoul providing Ukraine with arms support in response to Moscow’s signing of the treaty with the North, as announced the previous day by the National Security Council.
