Oct 09, 2013 An undersea gas pipeline from Russia to South Korea is on possible option for the delivery of Russian gas, President Vladimir Putin said during the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. Gas sector representatives have criticized this idea, talking about the technical complexities involved in laying such a pipeline, since the seabed itself has a complex profile. The prospect of laying a pipeline through the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is problematic due to the unabated ‘cold war’ between the two Koreas. Up to this point, the Republic of Korea has been supplied exclusively with liquefied natural gas (LNG). « Where gas is concerned, here we have new opportunities, new projects associated with pipeline gas. For example, the pipe from Sakhalin to Vladivostok, [and] a further branch could be sent to South Korea through North Korea or under the sea, » Putin said. Russia also has « two pipe projects in China, » he said. A maritime route from Vladivostok to South Korea could stretch 650-900 km. Ocean depth in the region reaches three km.
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