It is a pleasure to greet the readers of «Seoul City». I sincerely wish you all a happy new year!

The peoples of Russia and Korea are bound by longstanding friendship and good neighborly ties. Our relations began to develop vigorously with the signing of the first bilateral treaty in 1884. In 1886, a Russian diplomatic mission was opened in Seoul.

Despite many historical upheavals, from the first meeting in the 19th century to the present day, Russia has always been an important neighbor of Korea, and currently continues dialogue with South and North Korea, constructively contributing to resolving the Korean Peninsula issues.

There are no unresolved political issues between the two countries, the potential for mutually beneficial cooperation in practical areas including complementary areas is great, and we are interested in each other's rich cultural and historical heritage, which are powerful motivators to keep building Russia-Korea relation that is unshakable by external influences. 

Last year 2022 was a difficult year. The seismic shifts taking place around the world today are hastening the end of the outdated unipolar world order and replacing it with a more equitable multipolar world order that reflects the balance of interests of all members of the international community. With the aim of inflicting a “strategic defeat” on Russia, the Western group is conducting an aggressive Russophobic campaign of unprecedented scale, using special military operations to eliminate our security threats and protect Russians in Ukraine, and intentionally wrecking the international cooperation structure. In addition, the West is trying to involve as many countries as possible, including South Korea, in this destructive effort. However, attempts to politically isolate and economically crush Russia have failed utterly. This too is an important result of last year.

We are deeply convinced that the confrontational course of the West is contrary to the interests of the majority of the international community and undermines the maintenance of world peace and universal and progressive development of it. In the new reality, Russia and Korea should do our best to preserve the country for future generations and to expand the complex structure of multifaceted bilateral cooperation achieved through joint efforts in the fields of politics, economy and humanities.

In 2023, the Year of the Black Rabbit, we must actively work to strengthen friendship and cooperation between our two countries. I'm sure we will achieve meaningful results this year.

Taking this opportunity, I wish the readers of «Seoul City», people around you, and all the people of Korea good health, happiness, and prosperity, and I wish the development and prosperity of Russia and Korea.

※The message was provided by the Russian Embassy and Seoul City is not related to the intention of the article.