Relationship dossier
Belarus
South Korea
Relationship assessment
Limited practical cooperation, with South Korean export controls on Belarus creating a significant point of tension.
Belarus toward South Korea
+10Belarus included South Korean citizens in its short-stay visa-free entry policy, facilitating travel to Belarus.
South Korea toward Belarus
-20In 2022, South Korea imposed export controls on Belarus in response to its support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Overall relationship
-10The relationship includes a practical travel-facilitation measure, but South Korea’s 2022 export controls mark a significant bilateral policy dispute. The known features indicate neither a close partnership nor sustained broad confrontation.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Belarus has allowed South Korean citizens visa-free entry under its short-stay visa-waiver policy. South Korea, in response to Belarus’s support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, imposed export controls on Belarus in 2022. These measures point to limited practical cooperation alongside a significant policy dispute.
Areas of tension
- South Korean export controls on Belarus in response to Belarus’s support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Key developments
South Korea imposed export controls on Belarus in response to its support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Belarus introduced short-stay visa-free entry that included South Korean citizens.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral economic and consular arrangements are unclear.
- The extent of Belarusian government engagement with South Korea beyond visa policy is unclear.