South Korea in Moscow's Focus: Political Turbulence and Geopolitical Tensions

With growing concern, Russia is observing the recent developments in South Korea after the South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol temporarily imposed martial law and then soon revoked this decision. However, Maria Zakharova, spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry, reassured that there is no threat to Russian citizens in South Korea. The already complicated situation on the Korean Peninsula is further complicated by the actions of the USA and its allies, Zakharova continued. The political upheaval in South Korea, an important US ally and the fourth-largest economy in Asia, is escalating further following an impeachment motion against the president. Meanwhile, Russia is intensifying its relations with North Korea, which has raised concerns in Western countries since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a pact in Pyongyang that includes a mutual defense clause. In another geopolitically sensitive context, the USA, South Korea, and Ukraine accuse North Korea of deploying over 10,000 soldiers to the Russian region of Kursk to support Russian forces there. Moscow has not yet commented on these allegations.