Aju Business Daily

SEOUL -- At the request of Russia which has stepped up the development of its far eastern region to cash in on an in-Korean thaw, South Korea will carry out a feasibility study to see if the port of Slavyanka in a strategic area bordering China and North Korea could be a logistics hub in Northeast Asia.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said it would seek to complete its study by September next year on the possible construction of a multipurpose terminal, a repair dockyard, facilities for international transshipment and an LPG terminal in Slavyanka.

At a forum in Russia's far eastern city of Vladivostok in September last year, South Korean President Moon Jae-in called for the creation of a Northeast Asia power grid that would also encompass Japan, China and Russia as part of his proposal to establish an economic community in Northeast Asia.

Moon regards Russia as a crucial partner for his "New Northward Policy" to open a new era of cooperation in Northeast Asia and supports Putin's "Super Ring" plan to build energy links between its Far East and the Asia Pacific region. Russia and South Korea have discussed cooperation in gas-pipeline and other projects.