South Korean Government Slams Russia’s ‘Rude and Ignorant’ Response to President Yoon

The South Korean government has fired back at a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson who criticized President Yoon Suk Yeol’s remarks pointing out North Korea’s “legalization of preemptive nuclear use” as “biased,” calling it a “despicable sophistry.”

On March 3, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a position statement saying, “The remarks of Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, are rude, ignorant, and biased, below the standard for a spokesperson of a country’s foreign ministry.”

The position statement added, “Such remarks overlook the clear and objective reality that North Korea’s threatening rhetoric and continued military provocations are escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula and in the region and are despicable sophistry when viewed against the standards of a nation that faithfully abides by international norms.”

The position statement further pointed out, “It is nothing but a farce to deceive the international community for Russia’s leaders to refer to the invasion of Ukraine, a clear violation of international law, as a special military operation.”

Earlier, President Yoon criticized during the 57th Central Unified Defense Meeting on January 31, saying, “The North Korean regime is the only irrational group in the world that has legalized the preemptive use of nuclear weapons,” and “It is showing an anti-ethnic and anti-unification behavior going against history that denies even its people, sparing no effort to maintain the hereditary totalitarian regime.”

In response, spokesperson Zakharova issued a comment saying, “President Yoon’s remarks are biased,” and claimed, “It comes from the intention to cover up the aggressive plans targeting the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).”

She further added, “In the situation where tensions and conflicts are escalating on the Korean Peninsula and its surroundings due to the shameless policies of the United States, South Korea, Japan, and their allies, (his remarks) are particularly despicable.”