Putin says South Korea sending weapons to Ukraine would be a “big mistake” as Seoul criticizes Russia-North Korea defense deal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that South Korea would make “a very big mistake” if it decided to supply weapons to Ukraine, a day after signing a mutual defense deal with his fellow autocrat and North Korean leader. Korean Kim Jong Un.

He also said Seoul had “nothing to fear” regarding the new strategic partnership signed Wednesday by Russia and North Korea, which pledges to use all available means to provide immediate military assistance in the event of a attack on the other.

“Our military assistance to the DPRK [the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] In accordance with the treaty we signed, this only happens if aggression is carried out against one of the signatories of this document,” Putin said. “As far as I know, the Republic of Korea is not planning aggression against the DPRK, which means that there is no need to be afraid of our cooperation in this area.”

The agreement, which comes against the backdrop of Putin's bitter war against Ukraine, is the most significant agreement signed by Russia and North Korea in decades and is seen as a kind of renewal of their engagement mutual defense dating back to the Cold War of 1961. It cements the Kim regime's powerful link with a world power that has a veto in the UN Security Council and means Russia now has a defense pact with South Korea's biggest enemy.

The South Korean government expressed “grave concern” and condemned Russia and North Korea for signing the treaty.

National Security Director Chang Ho-jin called the treaty “sophism and absurdity by parties who have abandoned the responsibilities and norms of the international community.”

“The government [of South Korea] We will respond resolutely alongside the international community against any action that threatens our security,” Chang said.

Chang stressed the need to strengthen the extended deterrence power of the South Korea-U.S. alliance and the South Korea-U.S.-Japan security cooperation system to counter Korea's nuclear weapons and missiles. North Korea.

U.S. and South Korean forces regularly hold exercises and training in and around the Korean Peninsula, and the two allies are working more closely with Japan, including recent exercises involving forces from all three countries.

Chang also said that South Korea would review the issue of supplying weapons to Ukraine, but he also noted that Seoul was ready to wait for the Russian government's explanation of the results of the meeting between Putin and Kim Jong Un.

Currently, South Korea's policy is not to supply lethal weapons to Ukraine.

Asked later about these comments, Putin said: “As for supplying lethal weapons to the combat zone in Ukraine, that would be a very big mistake. I hope that doesn't happen. If this happens, we will also make appropriate decisions, which are unlikely to please the current leadership of South Korea.”

Reports from early in the war indicate that South Korea supplied 155mm artillery shells to the United States to replace the 155mm shells sent to Ukraine.

A recent report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said South Korea's stockpile of 105mm howitzers could give Ukraine a significant advantage on the battlefield if released in kyiv.

“Public reports suggest that South Korea has approximately 3.4 million 105mm artillery shells,” the CSIS report said.

Ukraine has around 100 105mm artillery pieces, according to the report.

“During the Vietnam War, these lighter howitzers proved indispensable at fire bases, given their high road and air mobility. Their light weight and mobility would allow Ukrainian artillery units to move quickly after firing, a crucial tactic for survival on the modern battlefield. These howitzers would also enable Ukrainian battlefield commanders to conduct attacks in rugged terrain against high-value targets,” the CSIS report states.

A U.S. military official, which maintains nearly 30,000 troops in South Korea, told CNN that closer ties between Russia and North Korea were troubling.

“These developments should be of concern to any country concerned with maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, respecting UN Security Council resolutions, and supporting the Ukrainian people in their defense of their freedom and independence against “brutal invasion of Russia,” the military official said.

Earlier on Thursday, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi also expressed serious concern over the agreement signed by Russia and North Korea.

The fact that Putin “has not ruled out military-technical cooperation with North Korea, which could constitute a direct violation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, is a matter of serious concern from the point of view of its possible impact on the security environment surrounding our country. country,” Hayashi said at a press conference.

CNN's Hanako Montgomery and Mike Valerio contributed to this report.

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