a minute agoSouth Korea does not rule out possibility of Ukraine's weapons supply
Periskopi(3 years ago)
(3 years ago)South Korea said its decision on whether to send military assistance to Ukraine depends on Russia's actions. So stated Seoul's presidential office. Seoul has a long policy against offering weapons to countries in active conflict, which has repeatedly said makes supply directly difficult with [...]
Seoul has a long policy against offering weapons to countries in active conflict, which has repeatedly said makes supply directly to Ukraine difficult.
South Korea has supported US-led sanctions on Moscow and has sent humanitarian aid to Kiev, while signing large arms agreements including tanks and other heavy military vehicles with Poland.
On Thursday, President Yoon Suk Yeol's office said that the South Central can't sit back and see if there are murders that the international community takes seriously”.
What happens next depends on Russia”, a presidential official told reporters under condition of anonymity.
The official said South Korea's policy not to offer weapons to countries in war was technically not a law, but a <x0).
“Unless civilian deaths occur on a massive scale, our current position lies”, the official added.
Yoon told the media this week that “if there is a situation the international community cannot accept, as is a large-scale attack on civilians... it can be hard for us to insist solely on humanitarian or financial support”.
This prompted Moscow to warn Seoul on Wednesday for its non-friendly “position”, saying the beginning of weapons supplies would imply “a certain phase of involvement” in the Ukraine conflict.
South Korea is a key US ally and a major producer of heavy artillery ammunition.
One of the recently discovered US intelligence documents portrays Seoul security officials as divided among existing policies for deadly assistance to conflict zones and growing Western demands to secure weapons for Ukraine.
A South Korean official suggested exporting ammunition to Poland to avoid politics, the document showed.
Yoon is scheduled to travel to the United States next week for a state visit. / REL
