The President of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, has convened the country’s National Security Council to implement «deterrence measures» in the midst of the visit of the President of the Government, Pedro Sanchez, to the Asian country after North Korea’s launch of a long-range ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan.
During his intervention in a joint statement, the Prime Minister said that Spain is «sensitive to the challenges to stability in the Indo-Pacific», condemning North Korea’s continued ballistic tests.
He also called for the «complete denuclearization» of the Korean peninsula and for compliance with UN Security Council Resolutions.
For his part, the South Korean president has given instructions to strengthen the country’s defense, hours after North Korea launched its second international ballistic missile in just two weeks, all in response to the renewed promise of the United States to use «all means», including nuclear ones, to defend its allies in Seoul and Tokyo against Pyongyang’s threats, according to Yonhap.
In addition, the South Korean leader has ordered the imposition of «strong condemnation and sanctions» against its northern neighbor, including a response from the UN Security Council together with the United States and the international community.
The South Korean president’s order came shortly after meeting with Pedro Sanchez in the first bilateral visit by a Spanish president to the country since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Spain in 1950.
Hours earlier, Yoon and Sanchez held a nearly two-hour meeting at the South Korean presidential office in which they discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations between Spain and South Korea.
Both leaders agreed that the potential for economic cooperation between the two countries «is very great,» stressing the importance of cooperation despite the physical distance that separates the two states.
«Spain is an economic powerhouse in Europe with an economy similar to ours and superior industrial competitiveness,» Yoon reported in a subsequent joint statement with Sanchez.
For his part, the Spanish president stressed the potential of the two countries to increase bilateral economic relations, especially in the sectors of industrial technology, renewable energy, infrastructure and defense, among others.
