North Korea Protests Seoul-EU Rebuke of Russia Ties

North Korea on Saturday denounced a joint statement by South Korea and the European Union condemning Pyongyang's military ties with Russia during the war in Ukraine. The statement, adopted Wednesday during South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's visit to Brussels, decried the “illegal military cooperation” between Pyongyang and Moscow, saying it enables Russia to sustain its war of aggression. North Korea's foreign ministry responded by calling the joint statement a “clear infringement on the sovereignty of our state and a grave hostile act,” and reiterated that South Korea is its primary “enemy state.” The ministry also referenced remarks by U.S. General Xavier Brunson, who called South Korea “the dagger in the heart of Asia,” saying this reflects Washington's aim to invade the continent. Both North Korea and China have previously criticized those comments.