INTERVIEW'Seoul can provide lethal aid to Kyiv': ex-ruling party chief

• Published date: 02 March 2023
• Publication title: The Korea Times

This is the first in a series of interviews with senior politicians in Korea and executives at leading think tanks in Washington over the issue of the country's provision of direct military support to Kyiv as the Ukraine war passes the one-year mark since Russia launched its attack, ending decades of relative stability in Europe. ? ED.

By Kim Yoo-chul

When President Yoon Suk Yeol clearly stressed the importance for South Korea and NATO to stand firmly on the side of "universal values" at the military alliance's gathering in June 2022, the South Korean leader might not have thought how soon his stance would come back to haunt him.

However, so it has. Despite repeated refusals from the Yoon administration to provide actual military weapons to Ukraine ? due partly to concerns over any negative economic developments between Seoul and both China and Russia ? NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg recently pushed President Yoon to help meet Ukraine's need for lethal weapons. Stoltenberg directly asked Yoon for South Korea to "step up."

Since Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine began last year, South Korea has so far provided non-lethal aid such as gas masks. Seoul has strongly condemned Russia's invasion, with President Yoon calling it, "unlawful and illegitimate." While it's still the hope of Ukraine and NATO that South Korea expands its contribution to the war effort ? as it is a country that is a staunch supporter of the "rules-based order," and has one of the world's most-sophisticated defense industries ? Seoul remains unwilling to send military weapons directly to Ukraine.

Government officials are not denying that the country is facing increasing pressure to supply weapons directly to Ukraine, but South Korea's stance not to do so hasn't changed ? officially, at least.

"South Korea is in the process of stepping up efforts to expand its contribution to Ukraine from a humanitarian perspective," a defense ministry spokesman said. "Seoul will provide an extra $130 million worth of support to Ukraine from $100 million of support, which the country provided last year. But we will pay close attention to Ukraine."

Yet a high-profile South Korean political figure believes the country could be able to provide military weapons directly to Ukraine, as it was Moscow that launched the full-scale invasion of Kyiv. Ukraine is once again preparing for another Russian offensive as the war passes the one-year mark.

"The South Korean government should think thoroughly regarding the...