MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to the South Korean minister, Moscow and Seoul agreed that "the fourth nuclear test, as well as a launch of a ballistic missile in the beginning of the year is a serious threat not only for peace and operation in the NEA, but for security of the international community."
"Today we agreed with [Russian Foreign] Minister [Sergei] Lavrov that North Korea's nuclear issue is the largest obstacle in strengthening multifaceted cooperation between the two countries in order to make the NEA region [the Northeast Asia] peaceful and prosperous," the minister said.
Tensions over North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs escalated after Pyongyang said on January 6 that it had successfully carried out a hydrogen bomb test and put a satellite into orbit on February 7. The moves reportedly violated UN Security Council resolutions, and triggered the United Nations as well as the United States to impose sanctions.
