President stated South Korea Yoon Suk-yeol said on Thursday that his country, one of the world’s largest arms exporters, “does not rule out” the possibility of sending weapons directly to Ukraine, against the backdrop of circulating reports about North Korea sending soldiers to support Russia in its war there.
During a press conference in the South Korean capital, Seoul, Yul indicated that his country would re-evaluate its policies depending on the extent of its involvement north korea In the Ukrainian conflict. He added: “Depending on the level of North Korea’s involvement, we will gradually adjust our support strategy, and this means that we do not rule out the possibility of sending weapons directly to Ukraine.”
However, the South Korean President stressed that any direct military support from his country would include what he described as “defensive weapons only.”
These statements come after his government announced that it was already studying the possibility of supplying weapons directly to KyivIn response to what was reported about Pyongyang’s deployment of its forces to support Russia in the face of Ukrainian forces.
A report from the South Korean Yonhap Agency also talked about arranging a visit for a special Ukrainian envoy to CivilThis indicates the possibility of strengthening cooperation between South Korea and Ukraine in the face of North Korean support for Russia.
According to the Ukrainian president Volodymyr ZelenskyNorth Korea has deployed about 11,000 soldiers in the Russian Kursk region, an area close to the Ukrainian border, in order to reinforce Moscow’s forces. This move is considered a dangerous turning point, as it brings new parties into the conflict, which has raised international concern, while Russia has denied its occurrence.
Common response
For his part, the Secretary-General of NATO (NATO)، Mark Ruttea phone call with the President of South Korea to discuss the possibility of a joint response to North Korea’s military support for Russia. Rutte considered that Pyongyang’s move represents a “turning point in international security.”
“We are working to strengthen relations with our partners in the Indo-Pacific region to confront these threats together,” Rutte said.
Yonhap reported that Rutte expressed his expectation that North Korean forces would enter into a direct confrontation with the Ukrainian army within a few days, describing this development as a dangerous escalation.
Yesterday, Wednesday, the Russian Federation Council ratified a joint defense treaty with North Korea, which was initially signed during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Pyongyang last June. This treaty provides for immediate military support from one party to the other in the event of any attack.
Since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war in 2022, South Korea has adhered to the policy of not exporting weapons to countries waging wars, but recent developments may push it to reconsider its position.
Since February 24, 2022, Russia has been launching a military attack on Ukraine, and to end it, it has stipulated that Kiev abandon joining Western military “entities,” which Kiev considers interference in its affairs.
