Cho Chang-rae, Korea's deputy defense minister for policy, right, poses during a Nuclear Consultative Group Meeting in Washington, D.C., Jan. 11. Courtesy of Ministry of Defense

Senior officials of South Korea's defense ministry and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Wednesday voiced concerns over North Korea and Russia's illegal military cooperation and urged them to immediately halt such alignment.

Cho Chang-rae, South Korea's deputy defense minister for policy, and Boris Ruge, NATO's assistant secretary general for political affairs and security policy, made the call during their meeting in Seoul to discuss the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and in Europe, South Korea's defense ministry said.

In their talks, both sides reaffirmed the importance of security and defense cooperation between South Korea and NATO and agreed to seek efforts to carry out defense-related agenda items of their Individually Tailored Partnership Program (ITPP) partnership.

In 2023, South Korea and NATO adopted the bilateral ITPP partnership for cooperation in 11 areas ranging from antiterrorism and nonproliferation to emerging technologies and cyber defense. (Yonhap)