According to Cheong Wa Dae, when it comes to sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine crisis, the government would not consider independent measures because of the country's relations with Russia as well as the presence of Korean citizens and enterprises in the Russian Federation.
Senior Presidential Secretary for Public Communication Park Soo-hyun stated in a local radio interview that "we are no longer in a period where we can do things (sanctions) on our own." The United States and European nations are considering sanctions against Russia; we will unavoidably participate in since we are interconnected."
"The administration should also take into consideration the fact that the volume of commerce with Russia is increasing," he continued. "Korean businesses and Korean citizens in Russia should also be taken into consideration."
As a result of Russia's armed invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, President Moon Jae-in stated that South Korea, as a responsible member of the international community, will support and join the international community's efforts, which will include economic sanctions, to deter the invasion and bring the situation to a peaceful conclusion.
He chastised Korean media sources for reporting that only Korea had been exempted from sanctions and that the country had only recently joined the sanctions regime.
"There are certain challenging areas in which the government should be concerned," Park stated emphatically. In order to ensure the protection of all residents and companies in the United States, our government has been proactive in preparing what it can. The government is doing what it can."
"36 of the 64 Korean residents declared their plan to leave Ukraine, and 28 expressed their want to remain in Ukraine for a variety of reasons, such as getting married there," he added. "We shall put out our best effort in this regard."
On Thursday, US Vice President Joe Biden released a comprehensive sanctions package against Russia, which includes limits on the sale of high-tech items such as semiconductors as well as penalties against four key Russian financial institutions.
