Russian troops training howitzers near Ukrainian border▶ Click here for a larger view
As the level of military tensions over Ukraine rises, the government continues to keep an eye on related trends.
At a regular briefing on the 27th, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Choi Young-sam said in a regular briefing on the situation in Ukraine, “while closely monitoring trends, the relevant ministries evaluate the situation and hold countermeasures meetings, share information with allies and seek ways to cooperate, establish a cooperative system with our diplomatic missions in neighboring countries of Ukraine We plan to prepare a full-scale response posture,” he said.
Spokesperson Choi introduced the diplomatic efforts between the United States and NATO and Russia and said, “I hope that the diplomatic efforts currently in progress will bear fruit and the situation in Ukraine will be resolved peacefully as soon as possible.”
This is a reference to the fact that the United States and NATO are continuing their attempts to find diplomatic clues, such as delivering answers to Russia’s demands for security guarantees related to the Ukraine crisis the day before.
An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also met with reporters on the same day and explained, “I don’t think it’s right to take an excessive or comfy attitude by foreseeing in one direction.
He added, “Almost every day, we have inspection meetings with the second vice minister and the head of the consulate office for overseas Koreans.”
Currently, there are 565 overseas Koreans residing in Ukraine. Most of them, 530, are said to be living in the northeastern part of the border between Russia and Belarus, including the capital Kiev, where the travel warning was raised to level 3 (departure advisory) on the 25th.
As Western countries such as the United States recently withdrew their diplomats from Ukraine, there are concerns that war is imminent, but the government is doing its best to ensure the safety of the people while maintaining the diplomatic missions abroad.
Choi Jong-gun, 1st Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Meets EU and French Ambassadors to Korea▶ Click here for a larger view
Meanwhile, 1st Vice Minister Choi Jong-gun met with EU Ambassador to Korea Maria Castillo Fernandez and French Ambassador to Korea Philippe Lefort on the morning of the same day and discussed the situation in Ukraine.
Ambassador Yang explained the efforts to peacefully resolve the Ukraine crisis and asked for South Korea’s attention.
In particular, Ambassador Fernandez fully supported Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and announced that he would impose sanctions against Russia if Russia conducts a military attack.
Ambassador Leport said that France would continue its efforts to reach an agreement with Germany, Russia and Ukraine through ‘Normandy-style’ dialogue.
Vice Minister Choi expressed his hope that the current situation would be resolved diplomatically and that peace and stability in Ukraine would be restored.
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