South Korea might not like it, but its gradual falling out with Russia following the invasion of Ukraine and Moscow’s subsequent isolation from the West is all but inevitable.

The country’s trade with Russia, which essentially grew from the ground up from the end of the Cold War, is on the decline.

After initially dragging its feet on joining sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — apparently in an attempt to salvage this once burgeoning relationship — Seoul finally acquiesced, to which Moscow responded by labeling South Korea as an “unfriendly” state.

This fallout looks set to impact