South Korea considers arms for Ukraine after Russia-North Korea deal

South Korea on Thursday condemned a new defense agreement between Russia and North Korea, according to a statement from South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office. The new pact between Russia and North Korea calls for military assistance if either country is invaded. The president’s office called the pact a threat to South Korea’s security and a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

A presidential official also said that Seoul is planning to review a policy that bars it from supplying weapons directly to Ukraine. South Korea currently does not sell weapons to countries in active conflict zones. Seoul has provided only humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

Where is Putin now? Russian Leader Vladimir Putin on Wednesday traveled to the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi, where he met with the country’s Communist leaders, according to Russian state media. He signed agreements with Vietnamese President To Lam to cooperate on education, science, and technology.

Dig deeper: Listen to Mary Reichard and William Inboden’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about Russia’s partnership with North Korea.