Seoul Seeks Russian Support for NK Sanctions By Na Jeong-ju Staff Reporter President Lee Myung-bak and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev slammed North Korea Wednesday for its nuclear test and missile firings, calling for the need to take a strong international response to its provocation.

Lee and Medvedev had a brief conversation over the telephone and shared the view that the North's move was a serious security threat to the region, Cheong Wa Dae said. But it is still unclear whether the two leaders have agreed on specific sanctions. Unlike in the past, Russia and China have issued statements and indications that North's second nuclear test was ``serious.'' A diplomatic source said, ``China, traditionally regarded as a big brother of North Korea, was quite upset over Pyongyang's second test,'' citing Beijing's public statement against it. Russia holds the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in May. Russia's ambassador to the U.N., Vitaly I. Churkin, told reporters on Monday Pyongyang's action was ``very serious and needs to have a strong response.'' Lee has engaged in active ``telephone talks'' with leaders of countries since the communist regime conducted its second nuclear test. The North also test-fired three short-range missiles on Monday and two more on Tuesday and threatened attacks on South Korean ships near the inter-Korean maritime border in the West Sea. Shortly after the test was reported, President Lee had a phone conversation with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso and called for an emergency meeting of the UNSC to discuss sanctions on North Korea. Lee also talked with U.S. President Barack Obama and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Tuesday about an international response to the nuclear test. Foreign ministry officials are also working closely with their counterparts from the six countries engaged in multilateral negotiations on Pyongyang's nuclear program. Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Yu Myung-hwan and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed the situation on the Korean Peninsula over the telephone, Wednesday. ``Yu and Lavrov shared the need for a stronger United Nations resolution on North Korea and agreed to work together to achieve denuclearization of the peninsula,'' the ministry said in a press release. ``They also agreed that the North's nuclear test was a clear violation of an existing U.N. resolution and threatens regional peace and stability.'' One day after Pyongyang conducted the test, Seoul announced its participation in the American-led initiative to stop the global trafficking of weapons of mass destruction, a move that Pyongyang has said it regards as a declaration of war. jj@koreatimes.co.kr