hankyoreh

President Lee Myung-bak and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev met yesterday and decided to elevate relations to the level of strategic cooperative partnership from that of a constructive partnership. The two countries will increase the level of their discussions and cooperation in all areas, including economics, diplomacy, security, and politics. One feels as if Russia is again coming closer, having grown considerably distant from the Korean Peninsula since the fall of the Soviet Union.

What is most noticeable about the agreement is that Korea will, starting in 2015, import 7.5 million tons of natural gas from Russia for a period of thirty years. That would be 20 percent of Korea’s yearly demand. While it was Russia that first proposed the idea, something that is part of its strategic plans for developing its Siberian and Far Eastern regions, it is going to be of big benefit to Korea, too, since it means it secures a stable energy import source and gets to participate in the development of it as well. It will also contribute to the formation of an economic community that includes the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia and a foundation for unification if, as planned, a gas pipe is constructed from Vladivostok and passes through North Korea.

Importing Russian gas is something that has been talked about several times since the two countries established relations in September 1990, but each time the idea was pursued nothing came of it, since the Russian government restricts energy resource holdings by foreign companies to the greatest extent possible and keeps the state in control. If Russia, natural gas powerhouse that it is, begins to export to countries in the Asia Pacific region, as well as to Europe, it will come to enjoy considerable influence on the international stage. Indeed, when Russia invaded Georgia recently, European countries, fearing their gas supply would be cut, were unable to speak up the way the United States did.

It is well known that Russia has pursued being an Asia Pacific nation since the days of President Vladimir Putin. Recently, it has shown an active interest in security discussions like the six-party talks. This, combined with its tendency to speak with a voice that differs from that of the United States, sometimes creates subtle waves. Greater cooperation between Seoul and Moscow will help encourage Russia to play a creative role in resolving the North Korean nuclear issue and establish a structure of peace on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia.

The Russo-Korean summit signals the completion of President Lee’s tour of the “big four powers” (the United States, China, Japan and Russia). Compared to relations with the United States, Japan, and China, countries with which there remain many uncertainties, relations with Russia seem to be smooth sailing. The fact the two countries have almost no directly conflicting security interests contributes positively to the relationship. This is a time when we should cooperate in a substantial way that corresponds to the strategic partnership.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]