Putin urges talks with North Korea

Russian president warns against pushing Pyongyang into a corner

SEOUL: While condemning North Korea over its latest nuclear test, the leaders of Russia and South Korea seemed far apart on the issue of stepping up sanctions against the country after a meeting in the Russian port city of Vladivostok.

Speaking after the meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for talks with North Korea, saying sanctions are not a solution to the country’s nuclear and missile development.

Moon had urged Moscow to support stronger sanctions against North Korea, which conducted its sixth nuclear test on Sunday in what it claimed was a detonation of a thermonuclear weapon built for missiles capable of reaching the US mainland.

“We should not give in to emotions and push Pyongyang into a corner,” Putin said in a news conference after yesterday’s meeting, held on the sidelines of a conference on economic development of Russia’s Far East.

“As never before everyone should show restraint and refrain from steps leading to escalation and tensions.”

Moon said the leaders agreed that reducing regional tension and “quickly solving” the security challenges posed by North Korea’s nuclear and missile programme were critical.

Ahead of his meeting with Putin, Moon said the situation could get out of hand if North Korea’s missile and nuclear tests weren’t stopped.

In an interview with the Russian news agency TASS on Tuesday, Moon said he believes now is not the time for talks and that it is important for the international community to strengthen pressure against North Korea.

Seoul’s Defence Ministry yesterday said the US military will begin adding more launchers to a contentious high-tech US missile defence system in South Korea today to better cope with North Korean threats.

The deployment of the Terminal HighAltitude Area Defence (THAAD) system has angered not only North Korea, but also China and Russia, which see the system’s powerful radars as a security threat.

A THAAD battery normally consists of six launchers that can fire up to 48 interceptor missiles, but only two launchers have been operational so far at the site in rural Seongju.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who will meet Putin in Vladivostok today, said before his departure from Japan that “we must make North Korea understand there is no bright future for the country if it pursues the current path”.

Moon and Abe are also expected to meet in Vladivostok today. — AP