This article is by Seo Ji-eun and read by an artificial voice.

[EXCLUSIVE]
Even as global sanctions aim to choke Russia's access to high-precision manufacturing equipment, a new investigation found that several South Korean machine-tool brands were on display at Russia's largest metalworking exhibition - highlighting the risk that these dual-use technologies could aid Russia's defense industry.
The Economic Security Council of Ukraine (ESCU), a Kyiv-based think tank tracking sanctions evasions, said that products from at least three South Korean precision toolmakers were displayed at the annual Metalloobrabotka-2025 in May in Moscow.
The event, often attended by Kremlin defense industry figures, showcased hundreds of foreign machine tools, including items subject to EU and U.S. dual-use export restrictions.
"The key issue is not simply covert shipments," Olena Yurchenko, director for analysis and investigations at ESCU, told the Korea JoongAng Daily. "What we find alarming is that products made by South Korean brands, which are de facto banned from Russia [since 2022], are now being openly advertised and promoted in Moscow."
Often, the products are delivered to Russia through third-country channels. When supplied in quantity, they can be used to manufacture critical parts for missiles, drones and other weapon systems.
Experts say this underscores the need for Seoul to strengthen its enforcement capacity and raise corporate awareness of compliance obligations.

Behind these trade fair appearances lies a trail of recent shipments from South Korea to Russia, funneled through third countries to apparently evade the government's sanctions.
The ESCU's latest analysis of customs filings indicates that between 2024 and 2025, more than $3.7 million worth of Korean-made cutting tools and Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machinery entered Russia through complex transshipment networks involving China, Turkey, India, Uzbekistan, Lithuania and Thailand.
The analysis estimates that machinery included $2.19 million in threading, drilling and milling tools from a Berkshire Hathaway-owned Korean firm, $1.31 million in cutting and machine-tool accessories from a mid-sized manufacturer, and $211,000 in CNC horizontal lathes from a Kosdaq-listed company.
The Korea JoongAng Daily confirmed with ESCU the data on the three South Korean companies that either participated in the exhibition directly or through a Russian dealer's representative.
One company executive, however, strongly denied any direct involvement in the Moscow fair.
"We stopped all sales to Russia in early 2024 and told our Russian dealer not to use our logo or display our machines," the executive, who asked for anonymity, told the Korea JoongAng Daily. "They acted independently."
The firm said it has severed ties with suspicious intermediaries and is strengthening internal compliance to prevent future breaches. The company director said that such associations could unfairly harm small- and medium-sized suppliers like his.
The other two companies have yet to respond to the Korea JoongAng Daily's request for comments.
Aiding Russia's war production
Advanced cutting tools are essential for shaping hardened alloys used in military hardware, including artillery gun barrels, rocket and missile casings and drone engines.
CNC lathes, on the other hand, are capable of high-precision machining of metal parts - for example, engine housings, shafts, nozzles, and mounts - with micron-level tolerances, critical for aircraft engine production and other aerospace applications, thereby directly contributing to Russia's ability to build fighter jets and cruise missiles.
Last year, DN Solutions' CNC machines were found to have reached Russia through Chinese intermediaries, and some of the equipment was later confirmed to have been installed inside Russian defense production facilities.
South Korea, though not part of the EU sanctions framework, has aligned itself with the U.S. and Group of 7 export-...

Ver todos los episodios