The presidential office called a Ukrainian sanctions official's claim inappropriate and said Seoul has enforced Russia sanctions. It said it is checking whether any export-control problem occurred.
South Korea's presidential office on Wednesday dismissed a Ukrainian report that Russia had imported petroleum products from South Korean ports, calling the accusation inappropriate, Reuters reported from Seoul.
Ukraine's top sanctions official, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, said on Tuesday that the shipments had eased a fuel crisis caused by Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries. His comment followed a Guardian report that port records and ship-tracking data showed fuel loaded at South Korean ports onto seven tankers, including vessels under British and EU sanctions. Those are the Ukrainian and newspaper claims, not a South Korean finding.
The presidential office said South Korea had consistently enforced sanctions and export controls against Russia, in coordination with other countries, since the invasion of Ukraine. It said Seoul was examining the facts and checking for any export-control issues, and would take measures if problems were confirmed.
The item is the denial and the review, not a completed investigation. No tanker names or volumes were confirmed by Seoul in the Reuters account.
The next step named by the presidential office is the fact check.
People Sentiments Mixed
- The presidential office called the Ukrainian accusation inappropriate.
- It said Seoul has consistently enforced sanctions and export controls against Russia.