South Korea has decided to lift the restrictions on the delivery of medical equipment to Russia, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Resources announced.
The amendment to the “Notification on the Export and Import of Strategic Materials” will take effect from February 28. The export of medical equipment to Russia will be exempt from the requirement of obtaining individual permits, except for those with a high likelihood of being used as weapons.
As an example, the ministry mentioned X-ray machines, which can now be exported by presenting the usual documents to the control authorities. However, individual export permits are still required for other sanctioned goods.
Since the beginning of the military special operation in Ukraine, South Korea has imposed restrictions on the export of 1,402 types of goods to Russia, including 109 strategic goods, 134 bio-chemical and high-tech products and 1,159 industrial goods.
According to the MTN, a South Korean television network, the requirement of obtaining individual export permits for goods like laptops and smartphones has caused frustration among the companies, who see the restrictions as a de facto export ban. Many have decided to continue supplying the Russian market through third countries, incurring higher logistics and intermediation costs.
Exporters in Russia now hope that the relaxation of the restrictions on medical equipment will be followed by similar steps for other goods. The court, which ruled on the case of a company that delivered equipment to Russia without a state permit, found that such actions often result from a significant decline in revenue due to anti-Russian sanctions.
Meanwhile, a ministry official emphasized that the current relaxation is in line with the humanitarian measures previously introduced by the United States. The official stated that a further lifting of the sanctions would depend on the criteria of the international community.