South Korea asks Russian embassy in Seoul to remove 15‑metre “Victory will be ours” banner

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry asked the Russian Embassy in Seoul to take down a roughly 15‑metre banner reading "Победа будет за нами", "Victory will be ours", that had been hung on the mission’s outer wall, officials said, weeks before the anniversary of Russia’s full‑scale invasion of Ukraine. The ministry said the display, in the colours of the Russian flag, risked provoking diplomatic friction in central Seoul.

The banner, reported to span about 15 metres and painted red, blue and white, was visible on the embassy building in Jeong‑dong, Jung‑gu, local officials said. South Korea’s ministry said it had conveyed its concerns to the embassy but did not immediately say whether it had received a response. An automated message on the mission’s phone line said the embassy was closed for a public holiday when contacted by reporters.

A South Korean daily reported that the Russian side had refused to remove the banner. The ministry also told RIA Novosti, "We have already conveyed to the Russian side our position regarding the recent placement of a banner on the outer wall of the Russian Embassy building in the Republic of Korea," reflecting Seoul’s formal protest to the mission. Diplomatic sources noted Seoul has limited practical recourse to remove material affixed to an embassy because the Vienna Convention establishes the inviolability of diplomatic premises.

The Foreign Ministry reiterated its long‑standing position that Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine is illegal and warned that military cooperation between Russia and North Korea threatens the peninsula. "Russia’s invasion of Ukraine constitutes an illegal act... military cooperation between North Korea and Russia is a clear violation of the UN Charter and UN Security Council resolutions, posing a serious threat to South Korea’s security and therefore must be halted," the ministry said, as reported by the South Korean press.

The banner episode comes amid broader strains between Seoul and Moscow. South Korean officials and media have cited recent comments by Russia’s ambassador to Seoul, Georgy Zinoviev, who publicly praised what he described as North Korean fighters in Russia’s Kursk region earlier this month. Separately, South Korean, Ukrainian and Western sources have alleged that under a 2024 mutual defence pact Pyongyang sent some 14,000 troops to fight alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, with more than 6,000 killed, a claim that has heightened alarm in Seoul and among its partners.

Moscow has signalled its own warnings. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said, "In that case, we will be forced to exercise our right to take retaliatory, including asymmetric, measures," a comment made after Seoul said it was consulting with NATO on possible measures to support Ukraine.

South Korean officials said they would closely monitor developments around the embassy and public events planned for the anniversary period, including a reported pro‑war rally. Diplomats in Seoul described the banner as a breach of expected diplomatic norms and a deliberate provocation aimed at testing how far Russia can press messaging on foreign soil without triggering tangible reprisals.

The incident underscores a widening diplomatic fault line in East Asia, where conflicts in Europe are reshaping alliances and forcing governments in Seoul and Tokyo to balance economic ties with Moscow against security concerns at home.