South Korea's defense ministry called Monday for an "immediate" halt to any arms transactions with North Korea, decrying them as "illicit," as a media report showed new signs of weapons dealings between Pyongyang and Moscow.
The Financial Times reported Saturday that Ukraine has been firing North Korean rockets -- seized from a ship by a "friendly" country -- against Russia, with Kyiv's defense ministry suggesting they were taken from Russian forces.
"Our government maintains the position that the illicit weapons trade with North Korea, which directly violates U.N. Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions and harms peace and stability in the international community, must be stopped immediately," Jeon Ha-kyu, the defense ministry's spokesperson, told a regular briefing.
South Korea is "closely" watching related developments, he added, declining to comment directly on the report.
Seoul's foreign ministry made the same call against the arms trade with North Korea on Thursday, a day after Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held talks with his North Korean counterpart, Kang Sun-nam, in Pyongyang, adding to speculation over the two countries' alleged weapons cooperation.
Shoigu also met with the country's leader Kim Jong-un and attended an arms exhibition as he visited the North to attend celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice.
Washington has accused Pyongyang of providing arms to Russia during its war in Ukraine. The North has denied the accusations.
Source: Yonhap News Agency