Seems to Consider Issue of Korean Missionary Arrested in Russia
As Western criticism arises that Russian President Vladimir Putin won the presidential election by an unfair margin, our government has shown a cautious stance, stating it wishes to "refrain from comment." This move is interpreted as considering the recent detention of a Korean missionary in Russia on espionage charges.
At a regular briefing on the 19th, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-seok responded to questions regarding President Putin's successful fifth term by saying, "We wish to refrain from commenting on Russia's recent election," and added, "We believe that South Korea and Russia share a common will to manage their bilateral relations."
He continued, "Our government is closely monitoring the recent trends of exchanges between Russia and North Korea in various fields," and added, "Exchanges and cooperation between Russia and North Korea should be conducted in a manner that contributes to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula while complying with relevant Security Council resolutions."
Our government's lack of a distinct position on the Russian presidential election contrasts with that of Western countries such as the United States.
Earlier, John Kirby, National Security Communications Coordinator of the U.S. National Security Council (NSC), criticized, "Given that Putin imprisoned his opponents and prevented others from running against him, this election was clearly neither free nor fair."
Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, David Cameron, UK Foreign Secretary, as well as the foreign ministries of France and Germany, also pointed out that the election held in Russia was unfair.
President Putin secured his fifth term with over 87% of the vote in the election held from the 15th to the 17th, but Western countries have raised issues such as the use of transparent ballot boxes that do not guarantee secret voting and the fact that voting was conducted in four occupied territories within Ukraine.
The government's restraint regarding the Russian presidential election appears to be a move considering relations with Russia.
According to the Russian state-run TASS news agency, Korean missionary Mr. Baek was arrested and detained earlier this year in Vladivostok on espionage charges. This is the first time a Korean has been arrested on espionage charges in Russia.
It is possible that the judgment was made that South Korea-Russia relations should not deteriorate further in order to resolve Mr. Baek's arrest issue.
However, the Foreign Ministry pointed out that Russia's holding of votes in the Ukrainian occupied territories (Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson) was inappropriate.
A Foreign Ministry official said in response to related questions, "Russia's invasion of Ukraine is an act that violates the UN Charter and international law, and Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence must be respected."
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