"The only people who are behaving unfriendly here are Western diplomats"

South Korea is interested in developing trade with Russia amid the withdrawal of Western brands, Russian Ambassador to the ROK Georgy Zinoviev said in an interview with Izvestia. Supplies of food and chemical industry goods, cosmetics, and medical products are already increasing. At the same time, the bilateral trade turnover has decreased by almost a quarter, including due to a sharp decline in imports of the Korean car industry. Despite the political uncertainty in the country, South Korean political circles are interested in developing multifaceted cooperation with Russia, Zinoviev said. On the anti-Russian campaign of Western diplomats in Seoul and the prospects for improving relations between Russia and South Korea - in the diplomat's exclusive interview with Izvestia.

"Seoul is interested in preserving trade and economic ties with Russia"

- Trade turnover between Russia and South Korea due to sanctions in the first half of 2024 fell by a third compared to the same period of 2023. Is the South Korean side interested in reversing this trend and increasing trade turnover?

- Russian-South Korean relations, including trade and economic relations, are being tested due to Seoul's solidarity with the collective West's illegal anti-Russian sanctions.

In 2022, the ROK government introduced an export control regime on shipments of goods, materials, equipment, and technology to Russia, expanding the list annually (to date, it covers 1,431 items). This, combined with expanding restrictions on mutual settlements, significantly complicates direct trade operations for Russian and South Korean traders, including major industrial corporations such as Samsung, LG, Hyundai, and Kia.

The work of interstate mechanisms of interaction is frozen, except for the Russian-Korean mixed commission on cooperation in the field of fisheries.

As a result, since 2023, a tendency to reduce the volume and narrow the nomenclature of mutual trade has been recorded. According to South Korean statistics, in 2024, bilateral trade turnover decreased by almost a quarter (-24%), to $11.4 billion: domestic exports - by 22.7%, to almost $6.9 billion, and imports from the ROK - by 25.6%, to $4.5 billion.

At the same time, South Korean business has almost completely lost its presence in the Russian automotive market, where its share in 2021 reached 23.8%, and lost its leading position in mobile communication devices and household appliances.

Despite these circumstances, our contacts in Seoul confirm the ROK's interest in maintaining trade and economic ties with our country, as well as their diversification due to new opportunities opened in the Russian market due to the withdrawal of Western brands. In particular, supplies of South Korean food, chemical industry, cosmetics, medical products are increasing.

- The Toburo Democratic Party, which won a majority in the April 2024 parliamentary elections, has previously advocated the development of economic cooperation with Russia. Do you notice any relevant discussions or proposals in this direction in political circles?

- Recently, there have been dramatic processes in the domestic politics of the Republic of Korea. As foreign representatives, we do not interfere in them and do not make any value judgments. However, it cannot be denied that the unfolding events may have a projection on bilateral contacts, the state of which we are very concerned about.

Indeed, many representatives of political circles and the public of the Republic of Kazakhstan are interested in the healthy development of multifaceted cooperation with Russia. I would not link this to any particular political views - simply sensible people of all persuasions realize that restoring cooperation is in the interests of the Republic of Korea itself.

We are counting on the fact that regardless of the further development of the domestic political situation in the ROK, our relations will return to a positive trajectory. I also hope that this can happen in the foreseeable future. I would not like to quote Nikolai Nekrasov's immortal lines in relation to the prospects of improving our relations: "It is only a pity that neither I nor you will have to live in this beautiful time".

"It has not come to practical steps in supplying arms to the Kiev regime"

- Russia's communication with unfriendly countries is now minimized. At what level are there political contacts with the ROK? Is there a dialog between the defense ministries of the two countries?

- We cannot say that the Russian-South Korean political dialog has been completely interrupted. In February 2024, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko visited the ROK and held consultations with colleagues from the ROK Foreign Ministry and the presidential administration. At that time, a wide range of bilateral and international issues was touched upon.
and international agenda.

An important event was also the talks between the foreign ministers of the two countries organized in July 2024 on the margins of the Asean events in Laos, where the foreign ministers exchanged views on topical issues of Russian-South Korean relations and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

We maintain communication through diplomatic channels. I hope that political contacts between our countries will continue in 2025. This will be facilitated by the fact that the Republic of Korea is hosting the APEC summit this year.

The embassies of the two countries have official representatives of various agencies, including military diplomats seconded by the Ministry of Defense. They are normally dialoguing with their counterparts from the relevant government agencies.

- Andrei Rudenko said in November 2024 that Moscow would react "by all necessary means" in case of South Korean military supplies to Ukraine. Are specific proposals for arms supplies to Kiev being considered in the country's government circles now?

- Despite the fact that a number of South Korean officials have periodically made statements about the possibility of Seoul reconsidering its position on the non-delivery of lethal weapons to the Ukrainian conflict zone, it has not come to practical steps in this area and, hopefully, will not.

The overwhelming majority of South Korean citizens oppose such deliveries to the Kyiv regime, and this fact cannot be ignored. In addition, our South Korean colleagues are certainly aware of the Russian position on this issue and have taken seriously the warnings that have been sounded, including at the highest level. At present, the ROK's political agenda is dominated by domestic problems, as well as issues of establishing relations with the new US leadership.

"There is nomassRussophobia in Korea."

- South Korea has thought about revising its supply policy after reports about the transfer of North Korean soldiers to the Ukrainian conflict zone. Are ROK authorities putting pressure on the Russian embassy as cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang strengthens?

- Russia is developing multifaceted cooperation with the traditionally friendly Democratic People's Republic of Korea. This is based on the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty, which entered into force in December 2024 and has brought relations between our states to an unprecedented high level. This document is not directed against third countries, its implementation fully complies with international law, and Article 4, which provides for mutual assistance in the event of aggression, is purely defensive in nature.

Unfortunately, in the Republic of Korea, various pieces of information have indeed been widely disseminated in order to inflate the hype around the interaction between Russia and the DPRK and to create a misconception in society about it as a threat to national security.

At the same time, it is encouraging that pressure on the embassy and, even more so, mass Russophobia is not the case - the Korean people have always been characterized by wisdom and friendly, generally objective attitude towards Russia. Despite significant differences in our assessments of the root causes and solutions to a number of global and regional problems, we continue our mutually respectful dialog with our South Korean colleagues through diplomatic channels.

- Are there any cases of discrimination against Russian citizens in South Korea?

- Nothing of the sort is happening in the Republic of Korea. There is still a great interest in Russian culture and art, Russian language, contacts and exchanges between representatives of academic circles are maintained here.

A striking example of the absence of Russophobia here is the fact that in 2024 more than 140 thousand Russian citizens visited the ROK, of which 106 thousand - within the framework of visa-free regime, which remains in effect in accordance with the intergovernmental agreement on mutual abolition of visa requirements of November 13, 2013.

The only ones who behave unfriendly here are diplomats from a number of Western countries. However, this does not inconvenience us, since the time saved from useless contacts with them can be used to communicate with the South Korean side and colleagues from friendly states, of which there is an overwhelming majority.

"The number ofSouth Koreans interested in Russia is growing"

- At what level are cultural and humanitarian exchanges between the countries now?

- Against the background of problems in the political and trade and economic spheres, bilateral relations in the cultural and humanitarian sphere are preserved. The number of friendly and constructive South Korean organizations aimed at developing ties with Russia is not decreasing. Russian artists regularly tour the country, with classical music and ballet being particularly popular. The performances in Seoul last May by the renowned Russian musician and conductor Vladimir Spivakov, as well as artists from the Mariinsky and Bolshoi Theaters, caused a great resonance.

At the same time, we cannot fail to note that in 2024, shows by Bolshoi prima ballerina Svetlana Zakharova and gala concerts by stars of the Bolshoi Ballet were canceled here. We hope that such actions, caused primarily by the anti-Russian campaign launched by Western diplomats in Kazakhstan, were of an episodic nature and did not become a trend. For our part, we are not going to "cancel" Korean culture in Russia, where specialized centers of the ROK are still operating.

- The world, including Russia, has been experiencing a so-called Korean wave in recent years. In particular, the demand for Korean language textbooks and self-studies has increased. Korean goods and cinematography, especially doramas, are also popular. What Russian goods or cultural phenomena are popular in South Korea?

- Russian culture has traditionally been very popular in the Republic of Korea. On the shelves of local bookstores you can often see translations of classic Russian literature, with which almost every South Korean citizen is familiar in one way or another. Local famous classical musicians regularly perform the works of great Russian composers, dedicating concert programs to them.

We can see that the number of South Koreans interested in Russia and its spiritual heritage is not only not decreasing, but also growing, especially among the younger generation. By the way, there are monuments to Pushkin, Tolstoy, Tchaikovsky and Chekhov in Seoul - this fact says a lot.

- Despite the lack of direct flights between the countries, tourist traffic from Russia to South Korea in January-August 2024 increased by 22.8% compared to the same period earlier. In June, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko said that Russia may resume direct air service with the ROK in the near future. At what stage is this issue now? Should we expect the resumption in 2025?

- In March 2022, Seoul, following the example of the European Union, unilaterally refused to use Russian airspace, suspending direct air communication with our country. We believe that its resumption, including at the interregional level, will contribute to further increasing bilateral tourist traffic, as well as intensifying humanitarian exchanges. We are ready to discuss this issue with the South Korean side with the involvement of industry experts in aviation safety and insurance.

By the way, the ethnic Koreans living here and retaining Russian citizenship, who moved to their historical homeland mainly from the Far East, primarily from Sakhalin, suffer from the current situation. If earlier it was possible to fly to Vladivostok and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in one or two hours, now these young people who came here at the invitation of the ROK government are often deprived of the opportunity to meet their relatives in Russia on a regular basis. The situation seems abnormal to me, and to some extent it reflects the general state of affairs in our bilateral relations.