Georgy Zinoviev - about the Republic of Korea

Russian Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Georgy Zinoviev in an interview with Kommersant says :

“The Republic of Korea has fallen into the bad company of states unfriendly to Russia, contrary to the logic of developing good-neighborly bilateral ties and, as I see it, not of its own free will. Over the thirty-odd years that have passed since the establishment of diplomatic relations, there have been no political problems or irritants between Moscow and Seoul. <…>. Russia, invariably adhering to a balanced and constructive position on the issues of the Korean Peninsula, assisted the parties involved, including the Republic of Korea, in finding mutually acceptable political and diplomatic ways to resolve existing differences.

In February-March 2022, the Republic of Korea limited itself to a minimal program of anti-Russian sanctions in the field of finance and export controls, as far as possible for one of the closest allies of the United States, which entailed proportionate retaliatory measures. Unfortunately, later the negative processes of decoupling our countries in the economic sphere acquired dynamics. I hope that the New Year will bring changes for the better, and I intend to make every effort to achieve this.

At the same time, Russian-Korean ties are not immune from new unpleasant surprises. <…>.

In general, when building relations with Seoul, we do not adhere to a black and white, but a nuanced approach. We consider South Korea as one of the most “friendly among unfriendly” countries. We note that Seoul is trying to prevent a sharp curtailment of ties with Russia and continues to look for flexible ways to minimize losses from Western restrictions for bilateral cooperation.

Despite differences in assessments of the current international situation, we are determined to work together to preserve the potential for interaction with the Republic of Korea and create conditions for its further development in a more favorable external environment. At the same time, the fact that Seoul refrains from supplying lethal weapons to Ukraine is of fundamental importance to us.”