Anchor: During his news conference, President Yoon Suk Yeol outlined his plans to work with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and also covered issues related to the involvement of North Korean troops in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Our Yun So-hyang has more. 

Report: President Yoon Suk Yeol said trilateral cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan will continue under the incoming Donald Trump administration in Washington.

At a press conference Thursday, Yoon said the three countries established solid business cooperation during Trump’s first term in office, leading to trilateral economic and security cooperation, as well as shared global leadership.

[Sound bite: President Yoon Suk Yeol (Korean-English)] 13:40
“With the incoming administration in Washington, we will establish a robust U.S.-South Korea security posture to firmly protect our freedom and peace. By advancing security, economic and high-tech cooperation within the U.S.-South Korea alliance, we will broaden the playing field for our youth and businesses to thrive.”

Yoon also said his administration is making efforts from every angle to minimize economic losses to the country in the event that Trump increases tariffs or introduces other protectionist policies.

[Sound bite: President Yoon Suk Yeol (Korean-English)] 
“We are working to ensure that South Korean companies won’t suffer significant losses. The Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the Office of Trade Negotiations have been preparing for potential issues and response strategies across finance, trade and industrial competitiveness for quite some time.”

Addressing the war between Russia and Ukraine, the president said South Korea will not rule out providing weapons to Ukraine, but added that it depends on the degree of participation by North Korean troops in Russia’s military offensive.

Yoon explained Seoul would need to move in phases to change the type of support it provides for Ukraine. If Seoul decides to send arms to the war-ravaged country, he said his administration will give priority to defensive weapons.

[Sound bite: President Yoon Suk Yeol (Korean-English)] 
“If North Korea gains more experience in modern warfare, this could pose a critical threat to our security. Therefore, in regards to supporting Ukraine, we plan to approach it in phases based on the extent of North Korea’s involvement. We are not ruling out the possibility of providing weapons support, though we will need to monitor the situation closely. If we proceed with weapons support, we are considering defensive weapons first.”

The president also raised concerns about the possibility that Russia could transfer military technology to the North, which could further threaten the South’s security. 
Yun Sohyang, KBS World Radio News.