S Korea bans export of strategic materials to Russia amid Ukraine invasion

South Korea has decided to join international sanctions and ban the export of strategic materials to Russia amid the situation around Ukraine, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday.

"As a form of sanctions against Russia, our government has prohibited the export of strategic materials to Russia, strengthening the export verification procedure," the ministry said in a statement.

The statement went on to say that the relevant South Korean departments will consider possible restrictions on non-strategic materials and extension of sanctions against Russia, including 57 items that are subject to the US sanctions, such as computers, sensors, aviation, and space industries and others.

Western nations have rolled out a sanctions campaign against Russia after it launched a military operation in Ukraine last Thursday, following requests for help from the people's republics in Donbas. The Russian Defense Ministry said the operation was targeting the military infrastructure of Ukraine only and that the civilian population was not in danger. Moscow says it has no plans to occupy Ukraine and that the purpose of its operation is demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine.

Delegations from Russia and Kyiv are expected to hold talks in the Gomel region in Belarus, at the Ukrainian border, in the coming hours.