{"id":2202357,"date":"2023-09-26T17:00:14","date_gmt":"2023-09-26T08:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2202357"},"modified":"2023-09-27T17:04:20","modified_gmt":"2023-09-27T08:04:20","slug":"balancing-economic-leverage-south-koreas-energy-reliance-on-russia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/09\/balancing-economic-leverage-south-koreas-energy-reliance-on-russia\/","title":{"rendered":"Balancing economic leverage: South Korea\u2019s energy reliance on Russia"},"content":{"rendered":"
Russia\u2019s potential military cooperation with North Korea has sharply escalated tensions with South Korea. Lim Soo-seok, the ROK foreign ministry spokesperson, <\/span>highlighted<\/span><\/a> the significant negative implications such a partnership could have for Moscow-Seoul ties. However, a key challenge for South Korea in reacting to Russia\u2019s military overtures to the DPRK lies in its heavy reliance on Russian energy. This dependence gives Moscow a potential upper hand, with the capability to use energy exports as a strategic lever.<\/span><\/p>\n Even as diplomatic engagements continue, exemplified by the recent <\/span>meeting<\/span><\/a> between ROK foreign minister Park Jin and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, a shift is evident in South Korea\u2019s approach to Russia under the Yoon administration. This shift, exacerbated by Russia\u2019s <\/span>warning<\/span><\/a> to South Korea against supplying arms to Ukraine, points to a strained bilateral relationship that, if not managed carefully, could jeopardize South Korea\u2019s energy security and broader regional security.<\/span><\/p>\n CHANGING DYNAMICS<\/b><\/p>\n Despite the mounting tensions, the sustained dialogue between Russia and South Korea\u2019s top diplomats reflects a cautiously optimistic stance held by many in Seoul regarding their relationship with Moscow.<\/span><\/p>\n After South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol\u2019s <\/span>visit to Ukraine<\/span><\/a> in July, ROK First Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin <\/span>downplayed concerns<\/span><\/a> that the visit would endanger the country\u2019s ties with Russia. Similarly, veteran ROK diplomat Wie Sung-lac underscored the importance of <\/span>recent high-level interactions<\/span><\/a> between South Korean and Russian officials.<\/span><\/p>\n Moscow recognizes Seoul\u2019s attempts to preserve relations, with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko <\/span>acknowledging<\/span><\/a> South Korea\u2019s efforts to maintain economic ties despite Russia\u2019s increasing global isolation amidst its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.<\/span><\/p>\n Yet the reality remains: The bond between Russia and South Korea, once hailed as a \u201c<\/span>strategic partnership<\/span><\/a>\u201d in 2008, has witnessed a pronounced decline.<\/span><\/p>\n Under the Yoon administration, South Korea\u2019s potential involvement in joint economic initiatives with Russia looks <\/span>increasingly bleak<\/span><\/a>. Yoon\u2019s approach starkly differs from the ones adopted by former South Korean leaders, such as Park Geun-hye and Moon Jae-in, who actively pursued economic collaborations, as seen with the <\/span>Eurasia Initiative<\/span><\/a> and the <\/span>New Northern Policy<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Adding to the list of departures from tradition, Yoon hasn\u2019t attended the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok \u2014 <\/span>a long-standing platform<\/span><\/a> for Russia and South Korea to deliberate on economic partnerships. At the recent EEF, Georgy Zinoviev, Russia\u2019s chief diplomat for Asia-Pacific affairs, <\/span>cautioned<\/span><\/a> that South Korea\u2019s arms supplies to Ukraine could severely damage the bilateral relationship, a sentiment earlier <\/span>expressed<\/span><\/a> by Vladimir Putin.<\/span><\/p>\n