South Korean President: North Korea-Russia arms trade poses a global threat

North Korea's arms trade with Russia is a threat to global peace, and the strength and alliances among liberal democracies are key to protecting freedom from "reckless elements," South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

Yoon made the comment in Hawaii, where he discussed the importance of the combined defense posture of US and South Korean forces with Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, the presidential office said.

"North Korea threatens peace not only on the Korean Peninsula but globally by engaging in illegal arms trade with Russia," he said in his address to US military leaders and troops.

Yoon stopped in Hawaii en route to Washington to attend a NATO summit, representing one of its four Asia-Pacific partners. Concerns about North Korea's military buildup have deepened after it signed a pact with Russia last month that includes a mutual defense agreement, Yoon said.

"In order to protect our freedom and democracy and economic prosperity from these reckless elements, solidarity among countries that share values, as well as strength, is essential."

Yoon warned Russia against deepening military ties with North Korea. Seoul and Washington say North Korea is supplying artillery and ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine, which both Moscow and Pyongyang deny.