South Korea will flag off on Saturday a container ship bound for Europe via the Arctic, testing whether a route opened by melting sea ice can be commercially viable, but risking friction with Western allies, as the voyage requires Russian cooperation.

JUŽNA Koreja testira komercijalnu isplativost arktičke pomorske rute do Europe. Putovanje skraćuje vrijeme, ali izaziva napetosti sa Zapadom zbog nužne suradnje s Rusijom.

The Northern Sea Route, chiefly used by Chinese and Russian vessels, could shorten voyages and save fuel, but requires Russian cooperation.