South Korea moves closer to Russia as ties with Ukraine deteriorate
Photo: South Korean President Lee Jae-myung (Getty Images)
South Korea is moving closer to Russia amid deteriorating relations with Ukraine, raising concerns among its European allies, according to the Financial Times.
According to the media outlet, under President Lee Jae-myung, Seoul has been gradually restoring diplomatic and economic contacts with Moscow despite Russia’s war against Ukraine and its military cooperation with North Korea.
In July and August alone, South Korea shipped more than 176,000 metric tons of fuel, mostly diesel, to Russia. Some of the deliveries were made by tankers under sanctions.
Meanwhile, representatives of the two countries have continued holding closed-door talks. Politician Song Young-gil, who was previously awarded the Order of Friendship by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, has been appointed as the president’s adviser on peace diplomacy.
Relations with Kyiv, by contrast, have deteriorated sharply. Following a dispute over the disclosure of information about two North Korean prisoners of war, Seoul recalled its ambassador from Ukraine and reduced its diplomatic presence in the country.
European diplomats fear South Korea is already preparing to resume cooperation with Russia after the war, putting its own economic interests ahead of solidarity with Ukraine.
Fuel supplies are a particularly sensitive issue for Ukraine. Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the Ukrainian president’s commissioner for sanctions policy, said the deliveries helped Russia ease fuel shortages following Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries.
Seoul, however, denies the allegations, claiming there are no direct fuel exports to Russia.
Dispute between Kyiv and Seoul
The diplomatic dispute between Kyiv and Seoul intensified after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced at the UN General Assembly on September 23 that two North Korean prisoners of war had been transferred to South Korea.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said the disclosure violated an agreement to keep the matter confidential.
Seoul explained that secrecy was intended to protect the soldiers and their families who remain in North Korea.
Ukraine’s presidential office, however, denied that any agreement had been made to keep the case secret.
Meanwhile, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said he could not rule out severing diplomatic relations with Ukraine amid the controversy over the North Korean prisoners of war.
