SEOUL, July 3. /TASS/. Economic cooperation between Russia and South Korea may reach a new level after President Moon Jae-in came to power this May, Director of Kookmin University’s Institute of Eurasian Studies Lee Sang-Joon told TASS on Monday.

"(South Korean) Democrats always seek more cooperation with Russia as they focus on other aspects rather than the Conservatives," Lee Sang-Joon said. "The Democrats always are more interested in cooperation with North Korea, Russia and China, and therefore they want more cooperation with these countries," the expert said.

New South Korean authorities have declared plans to pursue policy towards rapprochement with North Korea and involving it into joint economic projects, he said. "This process is hardly possible without the participation of Russia as the nearest neighbor, and this envisages joint active steps," the expert said.

Lee Sang-Joon explained that South Korea is separated from the mainland part of Eurasia by North Korea. "Until a transportation corridor is created through the North’s territory allowing delivering by land South Korean goods to Russia and China and through them to Europe, South Korea will always remain in a situation of an island," he noted.

Joint economic projects can change the situation but their implementation is hindered by sanctions introduced against North Korea over its nuclear and missile program, the expert said. One of these projects could be linking railways of South Korea and North Korea and connecting them to Russia’s Trans-Siberian Railway.

The expert expressed confidence that these plans will be fulfilled after relations between South Korea and North Korea normalize.