<Anchor>
In an interview with CNN, President Yun Seok-yeol predicted that the possibility of a North Korean provocation would increase if there was a conflict in Taiwan.
When asked if he would support the US defense of Taiwan, he said responding to the North Korean threat would come first.
Correspondent Yunsoo Kim in Washington reports.
<Reporter>
During an interview with CNN while attending the UN General Assembly, President Yun Seok-yeol said that responding to the North Korean threat was the top priority when asked whether China would support the US defense of Taiwan if it attacks Taiwan.
The Taiwan conflict could cause unrest on the Korean Peninsula.
[President Yun Seok-yeol: If China attacks Taiwan and a military conflict arises, the possibility of a North Korean provocation may increase.]
The follow-up question of whether the United States should fulfill its defense commitment to the Korean Peninsula before responding to the Taiwan conflict He declined to say immediately that Taiwan would be defended by the United States and its allies, saying both of them are important to the United States.
When U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August and came to Korea, when asked whether China was in the background they didn't meet, she said no.
He explained the background of the phone call instead of an interview, saying that there may be various opinions about whether the president on vacation should meet with Chairman Pelosi, who visited Korea at the invitation of the Speaker of the National Assembly.
[President Seok-Yeol Yoon: I had a very productive and friendly conversation with Chairman Pelosi, and Chairman Pelosi also understood the situation I was on vacation.]
Although he understands that the international community is more interested in the Ukraine and Taiwan issues than North Korea, President Yun emphasized that North Korea's nuclear and missile programs are still the most imminent threats to the Korean Peninsula.