The South Korean Sanctions Dilemma: How to Impose and Bypass Sanctions on North Korea and Iran

This chapter focuses on a South Korean sanction dilemma on how to impose and bypass sanctions on North Korea and Iran. International sanctions were imposed on both states by the United States (unilaterally) and the United Nations Security Council (multilaterally) and in both cases, Seoul faced a dilemma: should it impose these sanctions, or should it pursue a different policy that might lead to a confrontation with Washington, its main ally? This chapter reviews the sanctions policy of South Korean administrations since 1998 and argues that their effectiveness depends on a range of variables. Some of these administrations’ policies coincided with the United States, while others disagreed with Washington’s sanctions and overall policy, especially toward North Korea. The chapter also briefly analyzes the Russia-Ukraine crisis and the calls for Seoul to impose sanctions on Russia.