Foreign Minister Park Jin speaks at a meeting with ambassadors to South Korea from Central and South American nations at the ministry headquarters in Seoul, Sept. 30. Newsis

The South Korean government said Saturday it does not recognize Russia's recent annexation of Ukrainian territory as legitimate while strongly condemning Moscow's invasion of the Eastern European country.

On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed treaties to annex four regions in Ukraine, following referendums in the territory late last month.

"The Korean government strongly condemns Russia's armed invasion against Ukraine as a violation of the principles of the U.N. Charter," foreign ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-suk said in a statement.

"The Korean government does not recognize the referenda held in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson and Russia's annexation of the Ukrainian territory as legitimate."

It also called for Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence to be respected.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine earlier this year, Seoul has joined international sanctions against Moscow and has sent non-lethal aid to Kyiv. (Yonhap)