South Korea calls Russia ‘strategic partner’ in bid to maintain ties amid Ukraine tensions

Seoul’s ‘unspoken’ message to Moscow is that it won’t supply lethal weapons to Ukraine and doesn’t want to escalate tensions, analysts say

Reading Time:4 minutes

South Korean self-propelled howitzers during live-fire drills at an undisclosed island near the inter-Korean border in June. Photo: Handout / South Korean Defence Ministry / AFP

Published: 10:00am, 16 Jul 2024

South Korea’s top diplomat has called Russia a “strategic partner” as he looks to prevent his country’s ties with Moscow from deteriorating further, a sentiment backed by Seoul’s refusal to supply arms to Ukraine thus far.

Analysts say South Korea is driven by a pragmatic calculus that prioritises preserving its diplomatic rapport with Russia, given Moscow’s critical role in the security landscape of the Korean peninsula, which shares a border with Russia’s far eastern region.

“Russia is a strategic partner that can play an important role in the Korean peninsula issue, and our security and economic interests are at stake,” Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said on Saturday during a television interview.

“The South Korean government should also protect Koreans’ lives and businesses in Russia and, for this reason, communication at a necessary level with Moscow is absolutely required.”

However, the foreign minister noted that it would be impossible to restore bilateral ties to pre-war levels “as long as the war in Ukraine rages and Russo-North Korean military cooperation continues”.