Ugo Astuto, ambassador of the European Union to South Korea, speaks during an interview with Yonhap News Agency in Seoul, June 26. Yonhap
The European Union's ambassador to South Korea has called for stronger cooperation between South Korea and the EU on security and a broader range of economic issues amid mounting geopolitical challenges, while expressing confidence that consultations over the EU's new steel tariff scheme will produce a mutually acceptable outcome.
In an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Friday, Ugo Astuto also warned that deepening military ties between North Korea and Russia could heighten proliferation risks on the Korean Peninsula and called for continued efforts toward the North's denuclearization.
"We have had a pretty intensive dialogue on this issue over many weeks and months, so I think we need to wait for this conversation to come to its conclusion, which should be imminent," Astuto said of ongoing consultations over the EU's planned new steel tariffs.
"The outcome will be productive and will take into account the concerns of both sides."
