The Kremlin defended North Korea's “legitimate right“ to take measures for its own security, just hours after Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan, Agence France-Presse reports, BTA reports.
The South Korean military confirmed this morning, quoted by “Reuters“, that North Korea had launched a new ballistic missile from its east coast.
“We respect the legitimate right of our friends from the DPRK to ensure their security and take appropriate measures,“ Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during his daily briefing, which was attended by a journalist from AFP.
Meanwhile, senior military officials from Russia and North Korea held another round of talks in Pyongyang this week to discuss expanding bilateral cooperation, North Korean media reported, as quoted by the Associated Press.
This comes days after South Korean intelligence told lawmakers behind closed doors that it had detected signs of recruitment and training of soldiers in North Korea - possibly in preparation for further deployment to Russia.
According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korean representatives led by Pak Yong-il, deputy director of the Main Political Department of the Korean People's Army, held a meeting with a Russian delegation led by Deputy Defense Minister Viktor Goremikin.
The talks were aimed at expanding bilateral cooperation within the framework of the "deepening relationship" forged by leaders Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin. The KCNA did not report any specific agreements. Later, Goremykin also held a separate meeting with North Korean Defense Minister No Gwang-chol.
When asked whether sending North Korean soldiers to Russia was discussed, a spokesman for the South Korean Unification Ministry said Seoul was closely monitoring the situation, but declined to speculate.