Government Officially Declares 'Condemnation of Russia,' Appears Aware of International Criticism

Cho Hyun, UN Ambassador, "Condemns Russia's Military Invasion"
Choi Jong-moon, 2nd Vice Foreign Minister, "Violation of UN Charter"
Strong Support for US and Western Countries' Sanctions Against Russia

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] The government officially declared a 'condemnation of Russia' at the United Nations.

Although our government participated in the joint statement of democratic communities condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine on the 24th of last month, this is the first time it has mentioned it at the government level.

There are also suggestions that this move is in response to domestic and international criticism that South Korea has been passive in joining international sanctions against Russia, including those by the United States, and that the government may increase the level of sanctions against Russia.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 2nd, Cho Hyun, South Korea's Ambassador to the UN, spoke on the 1st (local time) at the second day of the UN Emergency Special Session on the Ukraine situation held at the UN Headquarters in New York, USA, stating, "We strongly condemn Russia's armed invasion of Ukraine," and added, "South Korea participated as a co-sponsor of the UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions demanding Russia's withdrawal."

On the same day, Choi Jong-moon, the Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, also said at the high-level segment of the UN Human Rights Council session held in Geneva, Switzerland, "The Republic of Korea strongly condemns Russia's aggression," and added, "As a clear violation of the principles of the UN Charter, Korea voted in favor of convening an urgent debate on the human rights situation in Ukraine yesterday (February 28th)."

The government's official announcement of its participation as a co-sponsor of the resolution at the UN special meeting, where the United States and other Western countries condemned Russia's invasion and called for withdrawal, is interpreted as a sign that it is no longer possible to maintain an ambiguous stance toward Russia.

This reflects the difficulty of ignoring the United States' position to strengthen the solidarity of allies, including South Korea and Japan, against the Russia-China alliance triggered by the Ukraine situation.

In particular, the fact that South Korea was excluded from the application exceptions of the US's Foreign Direct Product Rule (FDPR), a US export control measure against Russia, is also considered a factor that raised the level of the government's statements.

Park Soo-hyun, Senior Secretary for Public Communication at the Blue House, appeared on radio broadcasts on the 1st and 2nd, emphasizing the declaration of participation in sanctions against Russia by saying, "Reports that only our country is excluded from the Russia sanctions movement are not true," which is also for this reason.

Professor Park Won-gon of Ewha Womans University’s Department of North Korean Studies said, "As the international community is rapidly divided between authoritarian countries such as North Korea, China, and Russia, and the US-led bloc, the US expressed disappointment with South Korea's participation in sanctions against Russia," adding, "The Ukraine crisis, which erupted ahead of the presidential election, is also likely to have been considered in light of public opinion linking it to the Moon Jae-in administration's failure in North Korea policy."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.