The arrest of a South Korean in Russia as a spy suspect, Seoul confirmed, noting that the South Korean embassy in Moscow is offering him consular support.
“Upon being informed of the arrest, the local diplomatic mission provided the necessary consular support,” South Korea’s foreign ministry said without giving further details on the South Korean’s detention.
On Monday, March 11, the Russian news agency TASS reported that Russian authorities have arrested and detained a South Korean citizen, Baek Wonsung, who they accuse of spying for foreign intelligence services.
According to the Russian agency, the man was arrested earlier this year in Vladivostok, in the Russian Far East, before being transferred to Moscow in February.
Baek is being held in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison, which Russian security services use to keep prisoners in near-total isolation.
As reported by TASS, Baek Wonsung is the first South Korean to be arrested in Russia on charges of “espionage”.
Many South Korean media reported that Baek was a missionary who helped North Korean loggers settled in Russia and may also be helping North Koreans flee their country.
Russian authorities use the term “‘espionage’ often in a very broad way,” emphasizes Vladimir Tikhonov, professor of Korean Studies at the University of Oslo.
According to him, “this unfortunate South Korean is being used as a bargaining chip between Moscow and Seoul.” As the professor explains, his arrest may be a message from Moscow to Seoul about the indirect military aid it provides to Ukraine.
South Korea is a major exporter of military equipment and, although its domestic policy prohibits it from providing it to countries directly involved in war, it has sold tanks to Kiev’s ally Poland. At the same time, he supports Western sanctions against Russia due to the war in Ukraine.
On the other hand, Russia is cultivating closer relations with North Korea which, according to the US, supplies Moscow with ammunition to be used in the war. North Korea and Russia deny this, although they have pledged to strengthen their military cooperation.
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