The government has summoned the Russian ambassador to Seoul to lodge a complaint over the recent discussions on arms deals and military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.

The foreign ministry said that First Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin called in Ambassador Andrey Kulik to the ministry building in Seoul on Tuesday afternoon and strongly urged Moscow to immediately desist from pursuing military cooperation with Pyongyang and to abide by UN Security Council(UNSC) resolutions.

The vice minister reportedly emphasized that Russia should act "responsibly" as a permanent member of the UNSC that adopted sanctions against North Korea as well as one of the parties that led the creation of the international non-proliferation regime.

Chang said that the government will take strong action in cooperation with the international community to ensure that any acts that pose a serious threat to South Korea’s security will face consequences, warning that such acts will gravely impact Seoul-Moscow relations.

Ambassador Kulik reportedly listened carefully to the vice minister and said he would accurately relay the discussion to his government.

Seoul has issued strong warnings that military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang would have a very negative impact on South Korea-Russia relations.