Korea to enforce tougher export ban on Russia, Belarus this week

Used cars are parked at Incheon Junkyard, in Incheon, 27 kilometers west of Seoul, in this undated file photo. Courtesy of Incheon Junkyard

Korea will begin implementing tighter export controls on Russia and Belarus this week by adding nearly 700 items, such as batteries and larger vehicles, to its list of export restrictions in response to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, the industry ministry said Tuesday.

Under the revision to the state regulations on trading strategic items, Korea added 682 items with actual or potential military use to the list of items to be banned from shipping to Russia and Belarus, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The new rule will raise the total number of items on the list to 1,159, which will include heavy construction equipment, rechargeable batteries, aircraft components and machinery.

The revision will take effect Saturday.

The new list also involves used cars with 2,000 cc engines or larger, which has accounted for a major portion of Korea's vehicle exports to Russia.

Shipments of those items to the two nations are not allowed in principle, though the Korean government will make a case-by-case review of "exceptional cases." They are not classified as strategic items under Korea's export control scheme.

"It is a coordinated policy with the international community," a ministry official said. "The government will strengthen a crackdown on illegal trade." (Yonhap)