Amid escalating diplomatic tensions between South Korea and Russia, Moscow's senior Foreign Ministry official visited Seoul last week.

According to Seoul's Foreign Ministry on Sunday, Andrey Rudenko, the Russian deputy foreign minister in charge of the Asia-Pacific region, arrived last Friday, where he paid a courtesy call to First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun.

During talks with Deputy Minister Chung Byung-won, the officials discussed bilateral issues as well as the international situation surrounding the war in Ukraine.

While Seoul delivered its stern position over Russia's increasing military cooperation with North Korea, calling for Moscow's responsible action, it also sought cooperation to ensure that the rights and interests of the South Korean people and businesses in Russia are not violated.

Rudenko's visit came on the day Russian media outlets reported that Moscow's Foreign Ministry spokesperson publicly criticized President Yoon Suk Yeol for his remarks on North Korea as being "blatantly biased."

On Saturday, Seoul's deputy foreign minister summoned Russian Ambassador Georgy Zinoviev to lodge a formal protest, saying such rude comments would only further aggravate Seoul-Moscow ties.