LIMA, Peru: Japanese Foreign Minister IWAYA Takeshi and his South Korean counterpart, Cho Tae-yul, shared grave concerns over growing military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, at a meeting in Lima, Peru, on Thursday.

The two foreign ministers discussed the Moscow-Pyongyang cooperation, including the dispatch of North Korean soldiers to Russia in Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, and agreed to cooperate bilaterally and also trilaterally with the United States.

It was Iwaya and Cho’s first face-to-face meeting since the Japanese minister took office last month.

They agreed to collaborate closely in the lead-up to the 60th anniversary next year of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and South Korea.

Speaking to reporters, Iwaya expressed his willingness for him and his South Korean counterpart to engage in mutual visits to each other’s countries.

JIJI Press