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[단독] 대러시아 수출 제재의 빈틈… 모스크바에 전시된 한국 첨단 장비

Published: 07 Nov. 2025, 09:47 Updated: 07 Nov. 2025, 11:46

SEO JI-EUN
[email protected]

미하일 미슈스틴 러시아 총리(오른쪽)가 지난 5월 28일 모스크바 엑스포센터에서 열린 금속가공산업 국제전시회 ‘메탈로아브라보트카 2025’를 참관하고 있다. [타스통신=연합뉴스]

한국의 대표 영어신문, 코리아중앙데일리가 특종과 단독 인터뷰를 한글로 요약해 드립니다. 독자들의 많은 성원 바랍니다.

러시아에 정밀 제조장비 유입을 차단하려는 글로벌 제재에도 불구하고, 한국 기업 제품이 러시아 최대 금속산업 박람회에 전시된 것으로 확인됐다. 이에 따라 이중용도(dual-use) 기술이 러시아 방산산업에 전용될 수 있다는 우려가 나온다.

6일 우크라이나 경제안보위원회(ESCU)에 따르면 지난 5월 모스크바에서 열린 ‘메탈로아브라보트카 2025’ 산업박람회에 한국 정밀공구 업체 최소 3곳의 제품이 발견됐다. 러시아 정부 방산 관계자들이 자주 참석하는 이 행사엔 EU와 미국의 수출통제 품목이 다수 발견된다.

ESCU의 올레나 유르첸코 조사국장은 코리아중앙데일리에 “단순한 비정상적 유통경로가 아니라, 제재로 금지된 한국의 제품들이 모스크바에서 공개적으로 홍보되고 있다는 점이 특히 우려스럽다”고 말했다.

ESCU가 분석한 관세 자료에 따르면 한국 제품은 대부분 중국, 튀르키예, 인도, 우즈베키스탄 등 제3국을 거쳐 러시아로 유입되는 것으로 추정된다. 2024~2025년 약 370만 달러 규모(약 53억 6000만원)의 한국산 절삭공구 및 컴퓨터수치제어(CNC) 기계류가 러시아로 들어갔다.

산업부에 따르면 HS코드 8207·8466·8458.11(절삭공구·CNC기계)은 자동 제한 품목은 아니지만, 정밀도나 사양, 용도에 따라 전략물자로 지정돼 수출하려면 정부 승인을 받아야 한다.

절삭공구는 포신, 미사일 외피, 드론 엔진 등 군용 금속 합금을 가공하는 데 사용될 수 있다. 고정밀 CNC 선반의 경우, 항공기 엔진 하우징, 축, 노즐, 장착대 등을 마이크론 단위로 가공할 수 있어, 전투기나 순항미사일 제조에도 활용 가능하다. 한국 기업 제품 중 일부는 러시아 방산 생산시설에 실제로 설치됐다.

제품이 전시된 것으로 확인된 한국 기업은 워런 버핏이 이끄는 버크셔 해서웨이 산하 기업과 중견 제조업체, 코스닥 상장사 등 3곳이다. 이 중 한 곳의 관계자는 “2024년 초 러시아 수출을 전면 중단했고, 현지 딜러에게 로고 사용이나 전시 금지를 통보했음에도 독자적으로 행동한 것”이라고 말했다. 나머지 두 업체는 코리아중앙데일리의 질의에 답변하지 않았다.

한국은 2022년 이후 EU와 미국 등 서방의 대러시아 수출통제 체제에 동참하고 있다. 현재 러시아와 벨라루스는 ‘상황허가 대상국’으로 지정돼 있어 군수 전용 가능성이 있는 모든 수출은 개별허가를 받아야 한다.

무역안보관리원 관계자는 “우회 수출의 특성상 모두 적발하기는 쉽지 않은 상황”이라며 “마약 밀수 적발을 위해 모든 입국자들을 조사하기 어렵듯, 하루 수십 수백만건의 수출 통관 건에 대한 전수 조사도 불가능하다”고 말했다.

다만 유관기관과 합동조사체계를 운영하고 있으며, 중소 수출기업 대상 전국 교육·설명회를 확대해 인식 제고를 강화 중이라고 덧붙였다.

전문가들은 정부의 단속 역량과 기업의 수출 통제 인식 제고가 시급하다고 지적했다. 유르첸코 국장은 “독일·이탈리아·스위스에서도 비슷한 패턴이 보인다”면서 “대기업이 철수하면 중소기업들이 그 공백을 메우려고 하면서, 고의가 아니더라도 거래 실사 관리 미흡, 준법 경영(컴플라이언스) 인식 부족으로 문제가 발생한다”고 설명했다.

인하대 국제통상학과 정인교 교수(전 통상교섭본부장)는 “한국 기업들이 처음엔 합법적으로 제3국, 예컨대 카자흐스탄이나 튀르키예로 수출하는데, 그게 다시 러시아로 재수출되는 경우가 있다”며 “(한국에) 시스템적으로 허점이 있다고 할 수는 없다”고 말했다.

정 교수는 또 “미국은 최근 관련 인력을 늘려 수출통제 정보망을 강화했지만, 한국은 아직 인력 확충이 이뤄지지 않았다”며 “인력을 대폭 확충하지 않으면 자동화된 통관 절차를 벗어나기 어렵다”고 지적했다.

South Korean precision tools' appearance at Russian industrial expo highlights challenges of sanctions compliance

영어 원문

Even as global sanctions aim to choke Russia’s access to high-precision manufacturing equipment, a new investigation found that several South Korean machine-tool brands were on display at Russia's largest metalworking exhibition — highlighting the risk that these dual-use technologies could aid Russia’s defense industry.

The Economic Security Council of Ukraine (ESCU), a Kyiv-based think tank tracking sanctions evasions, said that products from at least three South Korean precision toolmakers were displayed at the annual Metalloobrabotka-2025 in May in Moscow.
The event, often attended by Kremlin defense industry figures, showcased hundreds of foreign machine tools, including items subject to EU and U.S. dual-use export restrictions.

“The key issue is not simply covert shipments,” Olena Yurchenko, director for analysis and investigations at ESCU, told the Korea JoongAng Daily. “What we find alarming is that products made by South Korean brands, which are de facto banned from Russia [since 2022], are now being openly advertised and promoted in Moscow."

Often, the products are delivered to Russia through third-country channels. When supplied in quantity, they can be used to manufacture critical parts for missiles, drones and other weapon systems.

Experts say this underscores the need for Seoul to strengthen its enforcement capacity and raise corporate awareness of compliance obligations.

Machine tools shipped via third countries

Behind these trade fair appearances lies a trail of recent shipments from South Korea to Russia, funneled through third countries to apparently evade the government's sanctions.

The ESCU’s latest analysis of customs filings indicates that between 2024 and 2025, more than $3.7 million worth of Korean-made cutting tools and Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machinery entered Russia through complex transshipment networks involving China, Turkey, India, Uzbekistan, Lithuania and Thailand.

The data estimates that machinery included $2.19 million in threading, drilling and milling tools from a Korean firm owned by Berkshire Hathaway, the U.S. conglomerate led by Warren Buffet, $1.31 million in cutting and machine-tool accessories from a mid-sized manufacturer, and $211,000 in CNC horizontal lathes from a Kosdaq-listed company.

The Korea JoongAng Daily confirmed with ESCU the data on the three South Korean companies that either participated in the exhibition directly or through a Russian dealer's representative.

One company executive, however, strongly denied any direct involvement in the Moscow fair.

"We stopped all sales to Russia in early 2024 and told our Russian dealer not to use our logo or display our machines," the executive, who asked for anonymity, told the Korea JoongAng Daily. "They acted independently."

The firm said it has severed ties with suspicious intermediaries and is strengthening internal compliance to prevent future breaches. The company director said that such associations could unfairly harm small- and medium-sized suppliers like his.

The other two companies have yet to respond to the Korea JoongAng Daily's request for comments.

Aiding Russia’s war production

Advanced cutting tools are essential for shaping hardened alloys used in military hardware, including artillery gun barrels, rocket and missile casings and drone engines.

CNC lathes, on the other hand, are capable of high-precision machining of metal parts — for example, engine housings, shafts, nozzles, and mounts — with micron-level tolerances, critical for aircraft engine production and other aerospace applications, thereby directly contributing to Russia’s ability to build fighter jets and cruise missiles.

For instance, DN Solutions’ CNC machines were found to have reached Russia through Chinese intermediaries, and some of the equipment was later confirmed to have been installed inside Russian defense production facilities.

South Korea has aligned itself with the U.S. and EU export-control regimes since 2022.

The country operates a two-tier export screening system jointly managed by the Korea Customs Service and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources. The customs service oversees customs classification and export declarations, while the ministry — with its affiliated Korea Strategic Trade Management Institute — is responsible for licensing and control of strategic items.

According to the Korea Customs Service, HS codes 8207, 8466 and 8458.11, which cover cutting tools and CNC machinery, are not automatically restricted. However, depending on their precision, specifications and potential end use, they may be designated as strategic materials requiring government approval before export.

Russia and Belarus are designated as situation-permit destinations, meaning all shipments that could be used in weapons production must obtain prior approval.

Seoul faces pressure on evasion tactics

Despite the controls in place, government officials acknowledged that detecting indirect reexports through third countries is difficult, as intermediaries can disguise product origins or repurposed goods.

“Just as it’s impossible to search every passenger to prevent drug smuggling, it’s unrealistic to inspect every export shipment,” the customs official said.

“Still, we are tightening joint investigations on unauthorized exports through an interagency export-control working group, and expanding outreach to small and medium-sized exporters through nationwide training sessions and compliance education," he added.

ESCU analysts say the issue is not always deliberate sanction evasion but a lack of compliance capacity among smaller manufacturers.

“We’ve seen similar patterns in countries like Germany, Italy and Switzerland — when major firms withdrew from the Russian market, smaller players stepped in to fill the gap," said Yurchenko.

"In most cases, it's not about these companies being deliberate about supplying their products to Russia," she added, "but because that they are not doing proper transactional due diligence and compliance and they are not tracking the entire life cycle of their product from the moment it left the origin country to the moment it arrived at the final destination — whether it's Russia or somewhere else."

Experts say limited manpower and oversight capacity make it difficult to detect illicit reexports.

“I wouldn’t say the system itself is flawed,” said Cheong In-kyo, professor of international trade at Inha University and former trade minister. “These shipments are legal at the time of export. They don’t go straight to Russia — they go legally to a third country first and are later transferred again. In reality, it’s tough for the authorities to detect and monitor every such case.”

Cheong added that the government needs to significantly increase staff and intelligence capacity to screen export destinations and review suspicious trade routes more closely.

“Right now, Korea simply doesn’t have enough manpower to manage this,” he added. “The United States has already expanded its work force to strengthen export-control intelligence, but in Korea, there hasn’t been any real increase yet.”

BY SEO JI-EUN [[email protected]]