SEOUL, September 30. /TSSS/. Russia is open to cooperation with South Korea on the Northern Sea Route (NSR), Russia’s Trade Representative in Seoul Alexey Sapetko said, adding that Seoul should not delay this opportunity.
"The answer to the question on how to cooperate with Russia on the Northern Sea Route is very simple: there is a contact person at Rosatom Corporation to whom the application is sent," he told a scientific conference.
This application "will be integrated into the maritime vessel schedule within two weeks," Sapetko added. He also expressed willingness to assist the South Korean side. "No one is preventing anyone from following this path: neither Korean, nor Chinese, nor Vietnamese companies. This is an open path," the official stressed.
During his election campaign in South Korea's port cities, current President Lee Jae-Myung repeatedly spoke about the potential of Arctic sea trade routes. On September 19, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said that Seoul was ready to cooperate with Russia in the Arctic region after the end of the conflict in Ukraine.
Russia’s trade representative urged not to delay the resumption of interaction between the two countries, adding that the South Korean side should not "prevent itself from profiting."