S. Korea says globe gifted to Russian library made in accordance with int’l standards
By Kim Seung-yeon
SEOUL, Feb. 11 (Yonhap) — The foreign ministry said Tuesday a globe its diplomat gifted to a Russian library was made in line with international standards, after reports that the library has expressed displeasure over the present for its markings of Russian-controlled territories as part of Ukraine.
Russia’s TASS news agency reported Monday (local time) that the head of the library in Sakhalin received the globe from a South Korean diplomat, stationed there as the head of a branch office of the South Korean Consulate General in Vladivostok.
The chief librarian said she would return the gift in dismay as she discovered the globe’s maps showed Crimea, and the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions — four territories Russia has controlled since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine — as part of Ukraine.
This image, provided by Sakhalin region Telegram channel “Nashi Nogliki,” shows a globe disputed by a local Russian library. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
TASS also quoted her as saying that the diplomat “committed discourtesy” by donating such a “distorted” gift, and that it was “unacceptable” that a foreign diplomat overlooked the fact that offering an item like that can be seen as advocating separatism.
The foreign ministry in Seoul said the government has been using the globe to promote the labeling of the East Sea.
“The globe was produced based on the cartographic practices and standards of international organizations and major map publishers, and has been commonly used for promoting the naming of the East Sea,” the ministry said.
“We will exercise greater caution in our future efforts for promoting the naming of the East Sea,” it added.
The international community, including the United States and Europe, do not recognize the four territories as Russian since they were seized by Moscow in the ongoing war against Kyiv. South Korea has also stated the same position.
Russia took control of Crimea in 2014 following an internationally unrecognized referendum that voted in favor of independence from Ukraine.
elly@yna.co.kr
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