South Korea and Russia, during a bilateral summit over the weekend, reconfirmed their shared disapproval of North Korea’s nuclear armament and vowed for “strategic communication” to deal with the issue.

But while President Park Geun-hye alluded to the necessity of an advanced US antimissile system here, her Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin sidestepped the issue which has recently been causing tension in the Northeast Asian region.

Following a bilateral summit on Saturday, President Park underlined the persisting military threats from North Korea, in an apparent move to defend the forthcoming installment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense here.

“North Korea’s increasing nuclear and ballistic missile threats are a matter of life and death to us as we lay within minutes range (from Pyongyang),” Park said in a joint conference held at the Far Eastern University in Vladivostok.

“Any responsible government would take all possible measures so as to protect the nation’s security and the people’s lives.”

Unless the international society addresses the North’s nuclear program in a firm manner, global peace and security will be put at risk, she added.

Park also claimed that the two states agreed to “strengthen strategic communication” in order to solve the North Korean issue.

The summit between the two states, being the fourth of its kind, was held on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic forum, an occasion to discuss regional cooperation in developing Russia’s underexploited Far East region.

The Russian president shared Park’s view, albeit with more caution.

“Standing against North Korea’s nuclear proliferation, we urge that the North abides by the resolution adopted by the international community and the UN Security Council,” Putin said during the EEF session earlier in the day.

He, however, called for cautious negotiations so as “not to provoke the (North Korean) leadership.”

The idea of installing THAAD in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula by end of 2017 has been causing uneasiness among Korea‘s neighboring states, such as China and Russia.

Along with their improved diplomatic ties, Seoul and Moscow also agreed to co-work for a free trade deal between South Korea and the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union.

Negotiations will begin as early as next month, as soon as the civilian feasibility study is wrapped up, according to Kang Seog-hoon, senior presidential secretary for economic affairs.

Kicked off in January 2015, the EAEU comprises of a population of 180 million and a gross domestic product of $1.6 trillion.

Cheong Wa Dae also claimed that the one-on-one business consultation sessions, an event affiliated with the state leader’s visit to Russia, led to a potential economic outcome worth some $210 million.

Following her itinerary in Russia, Park arrived in Hangzhou, eastern China, on Sunday to attend a summit of the Group of 20, during which she is slated to meet Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)