Korea to provide non-lethal military, medical supplies to Ukraine
People line up to get a COVID-19 test underneath a giant placard wishing for peace for Ukraine at a makeshift testing station in Seoul, March 14. EPA-Yonhap
Korea announced Tuesday it will provide Ukraine with non-lethal military supplies, such as bulletproof helmets, blankets and medical items.
Seoul's planned logistics support package worth 1 billion won ($804,181) consists of about 20 items, including tents, meals ready-to-eat (MREs), bedspreads and first-aid kits, the defense ministry said in response to Kyiv's repeated calls for support to help repel Russia's attack.
"As for details including how to ship them and other specific issues, (related) consultations are under way," Boo Seung-chan, the ministry's spokesperson, told a regular press briefing.
The ministry said last week that it sees "limits" in offering lethal arms to Ukraine in an apparent rejection of the country's request for weapons support.
Ukraine has requested humanitarian and military support, reportedly including rifles, anti-tank missiles and other weapons, from a number of other countries, as it is staging a desperate fight against invading Russian forces.
Last month, Ukraine's top envoy in Seoul, Dmytro Ponomarenko, made a specific call for South Korea to help strengthen his country's cybersecurity capabilities. (Yonhap)