South Korea to skip Russia's economic forum

South Korea will not attend the Eastern Economic Forum opening this week in Russia's Vladivostok, the Ministry of Unification said Monday.

During a regular briefing, ministry spokesperson Yoon Min-ho confirmed the decision not to participate in the annual international forum, running from Tuesday to Friday.

This year's edition has drawn attention amid speculation that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could travel to Russia for a possible summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines.

Asked about the chances of Kim's attendance, Yoon said the ministry has no information on the matter but would keep monitoring the situation.

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young raised the possibility of Seoul attending the forum early this month, as part of broader efforts to engage with Pyongyang.

South Korea has taken part before, with then Unification Minister Lee In-young attending online in 2021 amid the Covid-19 pandemic, and director general-level officials also joining on other occasions.

North Korea, for its part, has previously sent its vice premier or external economic minister to the forum. Ambassador to Russia Sin Hong-chol represented Pyongyang in 2022.

Yonhap