(Seoul) – South Korea summoned the Russian ambassador to Seoul, Georgi Zinoviev, on Saturday to protest “impudent and ignorant” statements after the Russian Foreign Ministry accused Seoul of being partly responsible for rising tension on the Korean Peninsula.
The Foreign Ministry told Zinoviev that it was “extremely regrettable that the Russian side unconditionally supports North Korea while turning a blind eye to the truth” and “criticized the South Korean leader's statements” with extremely disrespectful language.
He added that such actions by Moscow “lead to aggravation of relations between South Korea and Russia.”
The ministry previously described the statements of Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as “rude, ignorant, and biased, below the level required of any country's foreign ministry spokesperson.”
The ministry said in a statement sent to Agence France-Presse on Saturday evening, “These statements ignore the clear and objective truth of North Korea’s threatening rhetoric and its ongoing provocations that raise tensions on the Korean Peninsula and in the region.”
Earlier this week, Maria Zakharova said the tension was “primarily due to the impudent policies of the United States and its allies, including the Republic of Korea and Japan,” referring to South Korea by its official name.
She added that Seoul “does not seem to realize that the dominant position of the United States is irrevocably a thing of the past,” and that the South “may turn out to be nothing more than a small bargaining chip in Washington's geopolitical games.” He added.
This year, nuclear-armed North Korea declared Seoul its “main enemy,” closed agencies dedicated to reunification and communication, and threatened war over “even 0.001 millimeter” of regional attack.
For its part, Russia has established close ties with Pyongyang. Seoul and Washington say North Korea shipped weapons to Moscow for use in its war against Ukraine.
Washington and Seoul say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shipped weapons to Moscow, despite UN sanctions prohibiting such actions.
Kim made a rare trip to Russia in September to meet President Vladimir Putin, who is expected to visit Pyongyang in return.
