Iran And North Korea Warn South Korea For Putting US Interests First

Since 1953, after a 3-year war with North Korea, South Korea has been a U.S. ally. But today the alliance faces the criticisms of many neighboring countries, especially Iran and North Korea as they feel that by continuing to put U.S. interests first, South Korea is forfeiting its sovereignty and its relations with other nations.

Recently, Iran, already struggling to free its frozen financial assets (because of the US) abroad via legal action, made its opinion regarding the South Korea-U.S. alliance clear. In a tweet on June 16, Mahmoud Vaezi, chief of staff for Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, warned that "the government of South Korea should not sacrifice the Iranian nation's trust in that country's products and technology [gained] in recent decades as well as its long-term interests in the Iranian market for the US regime's demands and pressures."

Iran is known for its oil exports and there was a time when South Korea among its top consumers. But then President Donald Trump's government backed out of a nuclear deal with Iran in 2015 nuclear deal as Tehran is believed to have backed missile and submarine development and thus, the US imposed sanctions against Iran.

It has been discovered by the head of Tehran's joint Iran and South Korea commerce chamber Hossein Tanhaee that the estimated amount of money held by South Korea owing to the U.S. sanctions total up to $6.5- $9 billion.

As of now, Iran is resorting to legal action against South Korea to get its assets released, as shared by the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abbas Mousavi.

North Korean government has also lashed out at South Korea for sticking to its U.S. allegiance.

"The reason that the north-south agreements which were so wonderful did not see any light of even a single step of implementation was due to the noose of the pro-U.S. flunkeyism into which he put his neck," said The First Vice Department Director Kim Yo Jong in an essay published by the official Korean Central News Agency. Jong is the sister of supreme ruler Kim Jong Un and part of the ruling Korean Workers' Party Central Committee.

She went on to criticize the ongoing acquisition by South Korea of advanced U.S. weapons while playing host to U.S. personnel. It has also begun joint drills with the US forces.