South Korea will join international economic sanctions against Russia over its “armed invasion” of Ukraine, President Moon Jae-in said Thursday.
“The sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine must be guaranteed,” Moon said, in a statement issued by Seoul’s presidential Blue House.
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South Korea will “support and participate in the efforts of the international community, including economic sanctions,” he added, calling Moscow’s military attack on Ukraine an “armed invasion.”
The decision comes hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an attack on Ukraine, with Kyiv’s foreign minister saying a “full-scale invasion” was underway.
Weeks of intense diplomacy and the imposition of Western sanctions on Moscow failed to deter Putin, who had massed between 150,000 and 200,000 troops along the borders of Ukraine.
The incursion into Ukraine sparked international outrage, with the United States and the EU promising punishing sanctions against Russia in response.
Seoul, a close security ally of Washington, said the “use of force causing harm to innocent people cannot be justified under any circumstances.”
The US stations around 28,500 troops in the South to help defend the country against nuclear armed North Korea, which invaded in 1950. The Korean War ended in a ceasefire and not a peace treaty.
China, North Korea’s most important ally, has blamed the United States and its Western allies in recent weeks for “hyping up” the Ukraine crisis.
Pyongyang carried out an unprecedented seven weapons tests in January, and some experts have warned the conflict in Ukraine may provide a window for the North to test-fire long-range missiles.
Read more: Russian ground forces cross into Ukraine as death toll climbs
