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    South Korea, EU agree to boost pressure on Russia, condemn North Korean missile tests

    SEOUL (AP) – Leaders of South Korea and the European Union (EU) agreed yesterday to increase pressure on Russia over the war in Ukraine and condemn North Korea’s ballistic missile tests.

    South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met with European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Seoul, after the three leaders attended the weekend summit of the Group of Seven (G7) leading industrialised nations in Hiroshima, Japan.

    The three leaders called on North Korea to cease actions that raise military tensions and return to nuclear disarmament talks. “The European Union will never accept (North Korea’s) possession of nuclear weapons as the normal state of affairs, just like we do not accept Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine,” von der Leyen said at a joint news conference.

    Yoon said the three leaders recognised that North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmespose a threat beyond the Korean Peninsula.

    North Korea has launched about 100 missiles since the start of 2022, many of them nuclear-capable weapons that place the United States (US) mainland and South Korea within striking distance.

    Experts say North Korea believes its expanded weapons arsenal will help it wrest concessions from its rivals.

    At the G7 summit, the leaders of Japan, the US, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada and Italy as well as the European Union condemned Russia’s invasion and reiterated their support for Ukraine. They demanded that North Korea refrain from any destabilising or escalatory actions.

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with some of his biggest backers as the G7 summit closed on Sunday. Yoon also met with Zelenskyy on the margins of the G7 summit and promised to send demining equipment, ambulances and other items. South Korea has provided humanitarian and other support to Ukraine while joining US-led economic sanctions.

    South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol poses for a photo with European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. PHOTO: AP
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