South Korea has requested that Britain exempt its imports of Russian liquefied natural gas from British restrictions to safeguard its energy security, news agency Yonhap reported.
South Korea's Ministry of Trade said British sanctions targeting the maritime transport and insurance of Russian liquefied natural gas could undermine the country's energy stability. Without an exemption from London, gas deliveries could be disrupted. State-owned Korea Gas Corp already holds a long-term contract to purchase fuel from Russia's Sakhalin-2 oil and gas project.
European exemption and British stance
The European Union previously adopted similar energy sanctions but agreed to exempt deliveries of Russian gas to South Korea and Japan.
Meanwhile, Britain's new Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband supported strengthening sanctions against Russia. Miliband also called for increased support for Ukraine and advocated deploying British troops on Ukrainian territory.
