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The Republic of Korea, hereafter described as South Korea and Korea, began its engagement in the Arctic in the 1990s through a number of unilateral and multilateral scientific studies, including a preliminary scientific study between 1993 and 1995 and joint research with Japan following the creation of the Arctic Council in 1996. Since the early 2000s, South Korea’s interest in the region has gradually grown with the promise of an ice-free Arctic and the fiercely coveted Arctic sea routes. The country organized the Korea Arctic Science Council in 2001 to both continue Korea’s scientific endeavors in the region and pursue research on the potential of the sea routes. Through the Council, South Korea conducted marine research with the Geological Survey of Japan and dispatched two researchers to a Chinese icebreaker to explore the Bering and Chukchi Seas.

In 2002, South Korea began to build its international commitments in the region by becoming a member of the International Arctic Science Committee and inaugurating its first research station in Svalbard, the Arctic Dasan Station. 2009 saw the completion of the Araon – Korea’s first research icebreaker – and the vessel’s maiden voyage. Since its launch, Araon continues to conduct annual research activities in the Arctic between July and August, in addition to resupplying South Korea’s two Antarctic research stations.

Former South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak, a strong advocate of Arctic engagement, visited Greenland and Norway in 2012 to discuss Korean involvement in polar research and development. Former President Park Geun-Hye, who took office in 2013, announced the Arctic as a priority for the national government to achieve a “creative economy” early in her tenure. Current President Moon Jae-in, who took office in May 2017, has South Korea gained observer status in the Arctic Council in 2013, and has since been actively engaged in the economic activities, policymaking, and research detailed in the other sections of this backgrounder. Moon is determined to build closer ties with Russia, through the New Northern Policy with the “Nine Bridges” initiative, which enhances economic cooperation between the states. In June 2019, he also became the first South Korean president to make a state visit to Norway, where he discussed with the Norwegian Prime Minister economic and maritime affairs in the Arctic

South Korea gained observer status in the Arctic Council in 2013, and has since been actively engaged in the economic activities, policymaking, and research. The country has also taken a very proactive stance towards the so-called Asian Arctic Club – consisting of itself, China and Japan – and hosted the fourth round of such meetings in Busan in 2019. By doing so, it seems keen on developing, and eventually promoting, a distinct Asian view on Arctic affairs; one that is respectful of the Arctic eight’s concerns and interests but softly refutes their call for exclusivity based on geographical proximity.

This page was updated on 1 August 2022. If we have missed anything, please contact info@thearcticinstitute.org.

South Korea’s economic interests in the Arctic revolve around three key areas: (1) energy; (2) sea routes; and (3) technology.

South Korea is one of the world’s leading energy importers. In 2015, South Korea relied on imports to meet about 97 percent of its total primary energy consumption. Some 84% of the nearly 2.4 billion barrels per day of petroleum and other liquid fuels consumed in Korea is imported from the Middle East. As such, South Korea is actively looking for ways to diversify its imports beyond Middle East petroleum, and has accordingly been watching Arctic oil and gas developments. The Korean Maritime Institute calculates that if Arctic oil replaced just 10 percent of Korea’s Middle Eastern oil imports, it would save approximately one billion dollars annually in transportation costs. Towards this goal, in 2011 the South Korea Gas Corporation acquired a 20 percent stake in the Umiak gas field in the Northwest Territories of Canada. However, due to the boom in shale gas production in North America and the subsequent downturn of LNG prices, the Umiak field has suspended development in the short term. In 2013, the Araon led a research survey into the Beaufort Sea to look for sub-sea permafrost and methane hydrates. As with most methane hydrates exploration, extraction and production are still seen as future possibilities.

Korea is also highly interested in the potential for ice-free Arctic shipping routes in the near future. In 2013, Korean shipping interests completed the country’s first freight cargo voyage through the Arctic, taking only 35 days to travel from Port Ust Luga, near St. Petersburg, to the Gwangyang terminal south of Seoul, using the Swedish icebreaker Stena Polaris. Korea is so deeply invested in the Northern Sea Route’s potential, specifically, because it is geographically positioned to make significant gains from a shift in maritime traffic patterns from Southeast Asia to Northeast Asia. Traveling through the Arctic could decrease transportation distance by 40 percent and reduce travel time by up to 10 days between Asian and European markets, reducing fuel costs by 25 percent. Opening up the Arctic sea-lanes would allow ships to avoid the Strait of Malacca, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Suez Canal, all of which have heavy traffic and some security concerns. Instead, ships would use circumpolar maritime navigation and most likely use South Korea’s large Busan Port en route. Busan Port currently ranks fifth in the world in terms of cargo. Current container traffic between Asia and Europe is 26 million twenty foot equivalent units (TEU) and is expected to increase four to six fold by 2030. If the Northern Sea Route was developed, the Busan Port could see a significant portion of the more than 85 million tons of cargo predicted to travel via the Northern Sea Route. It would also increase the competitiveness of South Korean products in European markets by cutting down on transport costs. The Korean Maritime Institute has published a number of papers on the opening and prospects of the North Sea Route for South Korea.

Finally, South Korea is interested in economic gains from specializing in Arctic navigation technologies. To operate in the Arctic requires special vessels and related technologies, such as icebreakers, container ships with icebreaking capabilities, icebreaking tankers, and fuel ships transporting liquefied natural gas. South Korea hopes to capitalize on the need for such technologies and the increase in demand for offshore platforms for petroleum exploration and extraction as Arctic sea ice retreats. Hyundai Heavy Industries, Samsung Heavy Industries, and Daewoo Shipbuilding and Maritime Engineering (DSME) are among the most competitive companies in the world for the production of polar capable ships and support. Since 2014, DSME has won contracts to build a total of 15 icebreaking liquified natural gas (LNG) carriers worth a total of $4.8 billion. As of mid-2018, DSME has delivered six of so-called ‘Yamalmax’ class of LNG carriers, designed to transport natural gas from Russia’s Yamal LNG project. The three shipyards have won more than 50 new orders placed for large-scale LNG tankers for delivery in 2021. Two-thirds of the world’s LNG tankers in service today were built in South Korea.

Former South Korean President Lee Myung-bak (2008-2013) played a formidable role in fostering the country’s interest and engagement in the Arctic. During his tenure, South Korea applied for observer status with the Arctic Council and attended Arctic Council ministerial meetings since 2008 as an ad hoc observer. The country engaged in other international scientific and diplomatic endeavors such as participating in the International Arctic Scientific Committee and regional conferences including Arctic Frontiers. Former President Lee Myung-bak also actively engaged in bilateral diplomacy with Arctic nations. In October 2010, for example, South Korea signed an agreement with Russia on maritime transport and agreed to construct a gas pipeline.

In 2013, South Korea unveiled its Arctic Policy Master Plan. The Plan was developed with pan-government collaboration and the support of government-affiliated institutions focused on the Arctic, including the Korea Maritime Institute and the Korea Polar Research Institute. The overarching vision of the Plan is for South Korea to work towards a sustainable future in the Arctic through (1) building Arctic partnerships to contribute to the international community; (2) enhancing scientific research to resolve common issues of mankind; and (3) developing new industry in the Arctic by participating in economic activities. The Plan goes on to detail four diplomatic, scientific, and business, and challenges for South Korea in the region, with specific tasks or plans to be implemented over the next five years. For example, in 2014 the Plan called for South Korea to participate in the activities of the Arctic Council working groups and Arctic-related organizations and conferences; initiate a study for building a second icebreaker; and conclude a memorandum of understanding with Russia for the development of three major Russian ports along the Northern Sea Route, which has since been completed. The policies and calls to action in the Plan are written with an understanding that the Arctic will not bring tangible benefits to South Korea in the short term.

In late 2017, current President Moon Jae-in launched the Presidential Committee on Northern Economic Cooperation to articulate new economic policies toward Russia, China, and other neighbors in Northeast Asia that include Arctic initiatives. The Presidential Committee has since proposed the ‘9-BRIDGE Strategy,’ aimed at strengthening economic ties with Russia. The strategy proposes joint economic projects in nine fields, three of which are Arctic-specific: (1) jointly promoting the commercial use of the Northern Sea Route (NSR), (2) increasing imports of natural gas from the Russian Arctic, including the planned LNG 2 project, and (3) continuing to build icebreaking LNG carriers and other ice-capable vessels for use in the Russian Arctic and along the NSR. In 2018, South Korea took initiative to organise the first Arctic Circle Forum, where 200 delegates mostly from East Asia attended the conference opened by former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. In October 2019, South Korea joined Canada, the European Union, the United States, Japan and Russia to ratify the Agreement to Prevent Unregulated High Seas Fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean. In January 2020, South Korea launched an policy consultative group – the Arctic Club in Korea, to involve ambassadors of Arctic states in Korea to discuss ways to promote Arctic cooperation on conservation and sustainable development

As South Korea’s interest and stakes at the Arctic gradually increase, it is reported that the Korean Navy is considering to achieve maritime security in the Arctic with a fleet of ships that could be deployed to the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea, in alignment with Seoul’s Naval Vision 2045.

Korea’s current Global Korea Initiative and its Low Carbon Green Growth initiatives highlight the Arctic as both an important consideration in the fight against climate change and as a potential growth engine for the globalized Korean economy. The Arctic also plays a prominent role in Korea’s Eurasia Initiative, a national strategy to build an integrated, creative, and peaceful Eurasian continent, as it is seen as a regional connection by water, rail, and culture between European and Asian countries.

South Korea has engaged all Arctic countries and many Arctic observer states in business and scientific endeavors, with particular cooperation with Norway, Russia, Denmark, Finland, Japan, and China. In order to follow through with its Master Plan, South Korea must allocate enough funds to meet its set long term regional and global goals and make a strategic choice of which Korean port is best poised for Arctic development.