Would Russia Be Able To Use Gas Pipelines Into Korea To Press Its Strategic Goals On The Peninsula ???????

The repetitive gas crises in Europe are a cause of concern for Korea, too, as the country is pursuing the introduction of Russian gas through pipelines.

President Lee Myung-bak visited Russia in September last year and agreed to receive 7.5 million tons of natural gas for 30 years, starting in 2015. Many different methods of transport are currently under review, but the plan to construct an overland pipeline from Vladivostok to Korea through North Korea is the most promising.

If this happens, the Korean Peninsula will also be influenced by Russia’s gas politics. It will be possible for Russia to use the pipelines to press its strategic goals on the peninsula.
Moreover, in the middle we have North Korea, which changes its position much more often than Ukraine does.

It should be noted that Russia (and the Soviet Union before it) has never used the gas tool as an instrument of foreign policy, but some transit countries have used their position against Russia.

It all depends from the transit countries. North Korea would be in an ideal position to dictate its terms, would it be a transit country between Russia and South Korea.

What Russia wants more than anything is trade and payment for its gas.