Seoul: The foreign ministry announced on Tuesday that a globe gifted by a South Korean diplomat to a Russian library was produced in accordance with international standards. This statement came after reports surfaced that the library expressed dissatisfaction with the gift due to its depiction of certain Russian-controlled territories as part of Ukraine.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Russia's TASS news agency reported that the head of a library in Sakhalin received the globe from a South Korean diplomat, who is stationed there as the head of a branch office of the South Korean Consulate General in Vladivostok. The librarian expressed her intent to return the globe, stating that it inaccurately portrayed Crimea, along with the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia regions, which have been under Russian control since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, as Ukrainian territories.
The librarian further criticized the diplomat's gesture, labeling the gift as a "distorted" representation and suggesting that it could be perceived as an endorsement of separatism. TASS quoted her saying that the action was a "discourtesy" and "unacceptable" for a foreign diplomat to overlook the implications of such a gift.
In response, the foreign ministry in Seoul clarified that the globe was produced following the cartographic practices and standards recognized by international organizations and major map publishers. It mentioned that the globe has been traditionally used to promote the labeling of the East Sea. The ministry assured that greater caution would be exercised in future initiatives related to the naming of the East Sea.
The international community, including countries like the United States and those in Europe, do not acknowledge the four territories as Russian, given their seizure by Moscow during the ongoing conflict with Ukraine. South Korea upholds this position as well, aligning with the international stance on the matter.
Russia assumed control over Crimea in 2014, following a referendum that was not recognized internationally, which indicated a preference for independence from Ukraine.