South Korea to enforce tougher export ban on Russia, Belarus soon

South 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 on February 20.

Under the revision to the state regulations on trading strategic items, South 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, Yonhap reports.

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 South 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 South 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."