South Korea denies fuel exports to Russia cleared customs

South Korea said customs records show no exports of commercial petroleum products to Russia, rejecting reports that its ports had supplied diesel to the Russian Far East, Yonhap reported on October 8.

The foreign ministry's statement followed an article in Britain's The Guardian on October 6. The newspaper reported that more than 176,000 tonnes of petroleum products, mainly diesel, were loaded at South Korean ports and shipped to Russia's Far East during July and August. Vladyslav Vlasiuk, sanctions adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, later said the cargoes had helped Moscow cope with fuel shortages during the war in Ukraine. South Korea's presidential office dismissed that assertion on October 7.

The foreign ministry issued its response in a note prepared jointly with the industry ministry and the customs agency. Official trade data recorded no diesel, jet fuel or gasoline shipments from South Korea to Russia through customs clearance between the start of 2025 and August 2026, the ministry said.

The ministry added that commercial petroleum products fall outside Seoul's export controls on Russia. Loading them at a South Korean port is therefore not by itself a breach of domestic law. Officials will check the vessels' actual routes and declared destinations before deciding whether any rules were broken.

"The government will take action in accordance with the law if violations are confirmed," the ministry said.

South Korea bans the export of strategic items to Russia. A further 1,402 non-strategic goods that could have military applications require case-by-case export licences. According to the ministry, interagency talks decide which items are covered, weighing military use, economic impact and coordination with international partners.

Seoul's exports to Russia fell to $4bn in 2025 from $10bn in 2021. The ministry said South Korea had taken part in international efforts to preserve peace through export controls "despite the economic burden on companies and the public."