North Korea must not be rewarded for deploying troops to fight in the Ukraine war, according to South Korea’s foreign minister, emphasizing the need to halt “illegal military cooperation” between Pyongyang and Moscow.

Cho Tae-yul made the statement at a press conference following trilateral talks with his Chinese and Japanese counterparts in Tokyo on Saturday, Seoul’s foreign ministry confirmed. 

“Illegal military collaboration between Russia and North Korea must end, and North Korea should not be rewarded in any way for its wrongful actions in the Ukraine war,” Cho said.

South Korea’s foreign minister also stated that the top diplomats reaffirmed