South Korea pledges more military supplies, aid to Ukraine

In a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv on Saturday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announced that his nation will send a larger shipment of military equipment and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

Yoon made the unexpected journey after attending the NATO summit in Lithuania and visiting Poland this week, where he showed support for Ukraine against Russia’s invasion.

According to the think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), South Korea is a close ally of the United States and the ninth largest exporter of weapons worldwide. However, it is equally concerned about Russia’s sway over North Korea and has resisted Western attempts to actively arm Ukraine.

Following the deployment of non-lethal equipment including body armour and helmets to Ukraine last year, Yoon stated at a news conference that South Korea aims to give “a larger scale of military supplies” to that country this year. He made no further explanations.

According to Yoon, South Korea also intends to donate $150 million in humanitarian help to Ukraine this year, and another $100 million in 2022.

It will also work with Kyiv on initiatives like building infrastructure, which might be supported by loans with favourable terms from South Korea, he said.

“We are discussing everything that is important for the normal and safe life of people,” Zelenskiy said, thanking Yoon for “powerful” support.

According to Yoon’s office, he also travelled to the nearby tiny towns of Bucha and Irpin, where Russian soldiers are suspected of committing war crimes against people. Putin disputes that.

Yoon stated this week that his government was getting ready to deploy demining tools and ambulances in response to a request from Ukraine and that it will contribute to NATO’s humanitarian fund for Ukraine.

Few other Asian leaders have visited Ukraine, therefore Yoon’s visit is significant, according to Ramon Pacheco Pardo, the Korea chair at the Brussels School of Governance research group.

He noted that it is unclear how much of a policy shift in favour of further assistance for Ukraine would occur, but the trip demonstrates Kyiv’s acceptance of the assistance thus far.

“If he’s going it’s because Zelenskiy allowed him to go, because he feels Korea is doing enough to warrant it,” Pacheco Pardo said, adding that it also suggested South Korea may be offering more support behind the scenes.

Zelenskiy asked Yoon to boost military support when they first met in May. Yoon said on Saturday South Korea has delivered safety equipment and humanitarian aid that Ukraine needs, since May, including mine detectors.

South Korea’s defence ministry has said it was discussing exporting ammunition to the U.S., but said parts of a media report that Seoul had agreed to send artillery rounds to the U.S. for delivery to Ukraine were inaccurate.

In 2022, South Korea’s arms sales jumped to more than $17 billion from $7.25 billion the year before, including a $13.7 billion arms deal with Poland – Seoul’s biggest ever – supplying rocket launchers and fighter jets.

South Korean companies and entities in Ukraine and in other countries signed agreements on Friday to help with reconstruction, Seoul’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement.

(With agency inputs)

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