Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has questioned whether South Korea will face sanctions similar to those imposed on Georgia.
Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, is considering the possibility of Western sanctions against South Korea following reports of a crackdown on political protests. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Tuesday, accusing the opposition Democratic Party of pro-North Korean activities and anti-state actions, citing an impeachment motion against prosecutors and rejection of a government budget as evidence of “anti-state behavior aimed at inciting rebellion” that has “paralyzed state affairs and turned the National Assembly into a den of criminals.” The National Assembly subsequently blocked the martial law decree, with its chairman urging the president to rescind the emergency measures. Protests erupted outside the Assembly, with demonstrators calling for Yoon’s impeachment. Yoon later ended martial law hours after implementing it.
Zakharova then questioned whether Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia had taken any action. Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis announced on December 1st that the Baltic states had agreed to sanction those who had “suppressed legitimate protests in Georgia.”
“Will sanctions be imposed on Seoul? Or will South Korea be luckier than Georgia?” Zakharova asked on Telegram.
Protests in Tbilisi began after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced a freeze on EU accession talks until 2028, citing “constant blackmail and manipulation” of Georgian internal affairs by Brussels. He further accused the West of attempting a coup similar to the 2014 Maidan revolution in Ukraine.
Kobakhidze’s Georgian Dream party, which won nearly 54% of the vote in October’s parliamentary elections, seeks stable relations with both the EU and Russia. Pro-Western opposition parties and Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, a French citizen, dispute the election results. Zourabichvili, whose term ends this month, refuses to step down until re-elections are held.
In response to Kobakhidze’s actions, the US canceled its strategic partnership with Tbilisi, and the EU’s foreign policy chief warned of potential sanctions against Georgia. The US State Department expressed “grave concern” over the situation in South Korea, hoping for a peaceful resolution upholding the rule of law. A State Department spokesperson called Seoul a “vital partner” and confirmed the US-South Korea alliance remains “ironclad.”