South Korea's Yoon tells UN that Russia helping North Korea would be 'direct provocation'

FILE PHOTO: South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol attends the ASEAN-South Korea Summit at the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, September 6, 2023. Tatan Syuflana/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

UNITED NATIONS/SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Wednesday that if Russia helped North Korea enhance its weapons programs in return for assistance for its war in Ukraine, it would be "a direct provocation" and Seoul and its allies would not stand idly by.

In a speech to the annual high-level U.N. General Assembly, Yoon said such a scenario would threaten the peace and security of not only Ukraine but also South Korea.