South Korea to tighten export controls on Russia, Belarus

Diplomacy

Published: 26 Feb. 2024, 16:34 Updated: 26 Feb. 2024, 16:35

South Korea to tighten export controls on Russia, Belarus

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks with Yulia Navalnaya and Dasha Navalnaya, the wife and daughter of Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader who died last week in a prison camp, in San Francisco, California on Feb. 22, 2024. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

South Korea will tighten export controls on Russia and Belarus for items that can potentially be used for military purposes, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Monday.

South Korea added 682 items with actual or potential military use to the list of export items to be banned from shipping to the two countries last week.

Seoul's Foreign Ministry announced Sunday that a South Korean company sanctioned by the United States over alleged ties to Russia is being investigated by government authorities.

The Bureau of Industry and Security under the U.S. Commerce Department announced a list of 93 entities for export restrictions last Friday, including one South Korean company, Daesung International Trading. The sanctions list was announced on the eve of the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and in the wake of the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

“We shared information with the United States in advance regarding Daesung International Trading, and our relevant authorities are also currently conducting an investigation,” said a South Korean Foreign Ministry official Sunday. “We will continue to work closely with key nations, including the United States, to strengthen our efforts to implement sanctions against Russia, including export controls effectively.”

Daesung International Trading is a company located in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang, and is owned by a Pakistani national, according to the official.

The Bureau of Industry and Security explained in a press release announcing the entity list that companies on the list supported Russia’s industrial sector by procuring U.S.-made machine tools, electronic test equipment and machine parts for Russian users without the bureau’s permission.

Along with the 93 entities included in the list for export restrictions, over 500 individuals and entities were sanctioned in the largest number of such sanctions announced by the U.S. since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The South Korean Trade Ministry also said that the country’s customs agency is looking into Daesung International Trade’s alleged law violations, including the Foreign Trade Act, and that the government plans to punish and sanction the company if any breach of law is found after the investigation.

According to The Irish Times, the United States has sanctioned another company, Dublin-based Cubit Semiconductor Limited.

The directors of Cubit Semiconductor Limited are South Korean nationals, and the company has offices in Ireland and South Korea, according to the report. The company has shipped sensitive electronic components to a sanctioned Russian manufacturer, JSC Mikron.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated Washington’s commitment to use “all available tools” to disrupt Russia’s war efforts.

"The United States will use all available tools to hinder Russia's ability to access the global financial system, disrupt Russia's military-industrial-procurement, stand in solidarity with Russians striving for a more democratic future, and ensure Putin's invasion remains a strategic failure for Russia," said Blinken in a statement last Friday.

In a UN Security Council briefing held Saturday, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul voiced concerns over growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia. North Korea has shipped more than 10,000 containers of munitions or munition-related materials to Russia since September last year, the U.S. State Department said last Friday.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]