Detained South Korean accused of espionage in Russia

A South Korean citizen arrested in Russia earlier this year on suspicion of spying is to remain in custody until mid-June, Russia's state news agency Tass said Monday (Mar 11). The news agency said it is the first time that a South Korean has been arrested for espionage in Russia.

Tass said the man, identified by the agency as Baek Won-soon, was detained “at the start of the year” in the far eastern city of Vladivostok and was taken to Moscow at the end of February. He is being held in Lefortovo Prison, where a court on Monday ordered his detention extended until Jun 15, Tass said.

Tass cited an unnamed law enforcement official as saying the suspect passed on information “constituting state secrets to foreign intelligence services." The case has been labelled “top secret” and no further details have been made public.

Russia regards South Korea as an "unfriendly" country because of Seoul's support for Western sanctions against Moscow over the war in Ukraine.

At the same time, Russia has cultivated closer relations with North Korea, which the United States says is providing munitions to Moscow for use in the war. North Korea and Russia have denied this, although they have pledged to strengthen military cooperation.

Over the past year, Russia has detained multiple foreign nationals and accused them of committing various offenses.

Last March, Russia detained Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter who was on a business trip to Russia, on espionage charges. In October, Russian-US journalist Alsu Kurmasheva was detained for failing to register as a foreign agent and later charged with spreading “false information” about the Russian military.

Last month, Tass reported a German man had been detained and accused of smuggling drugs. Also in February, Russian state news agencies reported a dual US-Russian woman identified as Ksenia Khavana was arrested on charges of committing treason. 

Russia has previously been accused of targeting foreign citizens to use them as bargaining chips to secure the release of Russian prisoners abroad. The Russian government has denied the accusations.

In a recent interview Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to suggest that in exchange for Gershkovich, Russia is seeking the return of Vadim Krasikov who is serving a life sentence in Germany, after being convicted of the 2019 killing of Zelimkhan “Tornike” Khangoshvili, a 40-year-old Georgian citizen of Chechen ethnicity.

Gershkovich is being held in Lefortovo Prison notorious for its harsh conditions. The prison dates from the czarist era and has been a terrifying symbol of repression since Soviet times.