South Korea Asks the UK Not to Hinder Russian Gas Imports

South Korea has requested the United Kingdom to facilitate imports of liquefied natural gas from Russia. The head of the Trade Negotiations Bureau of South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Ye Han-gun, held a video call with UK Minister of Trade Anna Sweeney to discuss the impact of restrictions.

Seoul expressed concern that the UK's ban on services related to Russian liquefied natural gas, including maritime transportation and insurance, which takes effect from January 2027, could disrupt gas supplies to South Korea. According to the Korean side, this could affect the country's energy security, as South Korea has long-term contracts for certain Russian gas supplies.

In particular, the Korea Gas Corporation has a contract to import liquefied natural gas produced under the Sakhalin-2 project until March 2028. Ye Han-gun emphasized the need for a more flexible approach regarding the imposition of sanctions. He recalled that the European Union had previously made exceptions for gas supplies from Sakhalin-2 to South Korea and Japan.

The parties also discussed other trade issues, including restrictions on the import of South Korean steel.