MOSCOW, June 7. /TASS/. Russia cannot turn a deaf ear to the anti-Russian statements by South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik, clearly made only to appease Vladimir Zelensky, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a briefing on the margins of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

According to her, Shin Won-sik accused Russia of betraying the international community by receiving weapons from the DPRK. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council resolutions, Moscow is violating its resolutions, he said. According to South Korea's defense minister, military-technical cooperation between Russia and North Korea triggers tensions on the Korean Peninsula and affects the situation in the theater of war.

"The way we see it, it is no coincidence that the South Korean side chose the Singapore platform to discredit us with these unfounded accusations. It seems that the South Korean defense minister wanted to please Zelensky, who was present there, and, accordingly, his Western sponsors, with his statements. <...> This is aggressive rhetoric. Russia cannot stand on the sidelines and just watch this and will continue to take appropriate measures to counter threats and ensure its national security," she said.

The spokeswoman called the statement illogical. "Wasn't there tension on the Korean Peninsula before? Was it only in 2023-2024 that it started? Apparently, international organizations, representatives of world diplomacy were not engaged in the settlement on the Korean Peninsula," she stressed. "These are the lengths that America’s vassals will go to under their pressure, so to say," Zakharova quipped.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum takes place on June 5-8. This year’s theme is "The Formation of New Areas of Growth as the Cornerstone of a Multipolar World." Scheduled events include meetings for small and medium-sized businesses, creative industries, the SPIEF Youth Day, as well as the Drug Security, SPIEF Academy and SPIEF Junior forums. SPIEF is organized by the Roscongress Foundation. TASS is the information partner of the event.