Let’s build nine bridges between Seoul, Moscow, says Moon

September 11, 2017

VLADIVOSTOK – South Korea’s President, Moon Jae-in, has re-emphasised the importance of developing the Russian Far East by expanding co-operation between Seoul and Moscow in his keynote address to the plenary session of the third Eastern Economic Forum here. 

Dubbing the sectors of co-operation between South Korea and Russia the “nine bridges”, Moon said Russia’s New East Asia Policy and Korea’s New Northern Policy are connected.

Calling the nine bridges the “royal road to the future”, Moon proposed that both South Korea and Russia work together in the sectors of natural gas, railroads, shipping ports, electric power, agriculture and fisheries.

He named the world’s first ice-breaking LNG carrier, built by Korea after receiving an order from Russia, and its first LNG-fuelled oil tanker, as good examples of Korea-Russia bilateral economic co-operation. 

He said, “It's important to work on large projects, but being successful in more short-term projects will help build deeper trust among companies in both countries.”
Korean SMEs that have experience and competitiveness are preparing to enter business in the Russian Far East, he added. 
To allow the Russian Far East to play its role properly as a “platform”, Moon reminded world leaders present that North Korea’s nuclear weapon and missile provocations should be solved.
He described the North Korean nuclear weapons issue as a threat to peace in Northeast Asia, as well as on the Korean Peninsula, which Russia must help solve in order to pursue development in the Russian Far East. 
Pointing to development in the Russian Far East as one of the fundamental ways to solve the North Korean nuclear weapons issue, Moon said, “If the North sees Northeast Asian countries successfully conducting economic co-operation, it will realise that participation in the development of the Russian Far East would be beneficial to it.” 
“Although it will be difficult at the moment to realise trilateral cooperation between both Koreas and Russia, Seoul and Moscow should work together to begin possible cooperation projects.”  www.korea.kr (ATI).