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| Ukrainian Ambassador to South Korea Dmytro Ponomarenko speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the country's embassy in Seoul, Feb. 25, 2022. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
Russia threatens to send weapons to North Korea
By Kwon Mee-yoo, Lee Hyo-jin
Ukrainian Ambassador to South Korea Dmytro Ponomarenko welcomed Seoul's decision to possibly provide arms to his home country in its war with Russia.
"We would welcome the decision by the Korean Government to extend its support for Ukraine beyond humanitarian and financial aid," Ponomarenko told The Korea Times, Thursday. "Continuation of timely defense assistance from our partners is crucial to ending the war in 2023."
The ambassador also expressed hopes that South Korea will join efforts in leading democratic countries to support Ukraine's fight against Russian aggression by providing state-of-the-art defense equipment.
In an interview with Reuters published the previous day, President Yoon Suk Yeol hinted at the possibility of providing arms to Kyiv, a major shift from Seoul's earlier stance of providing only humanitarian and economic assistance to the war-torn nation.
"If there here is a situation the international community cannot condone, such as any large-scale attack on civilians, massacres or a serious violation of the laws of war, it may be difficult for us to insist only on humanitarian or financial support," he said.
Yoon's remarks came amid mounting pressure from Western allies ― the United States and NATO ― to supply weapons directly to Ukraine. South Korea is the world's eighth-largest arms exporter, with its weapons in high demand in Poland, a NATO member state.
However, the South Korean government has so far maintained a policy of not providing any lethal weapons to Ukraine, mindful of damaging relations with Moscow.
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| Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a cabinet meeting via videoconference at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia, Wednesday. AP-Yonhap |
The Kremlin reacted furiously to Seoul's change in stance and warned of possibly supplying North Korea with advanced weapons if South Korea provides military assistance to Ukraine. Moscow remains one of Pyongyang's main backers as the reclusive regime continues to develop nuclear weapons and missiles.
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chair of the Russian National Security Council, wrote on his Telegram channel, Wednesday, "I wonder what the residents of this nation (South Korea) would say when they see the newest Russian weapons in the hands of their closest neighbor ― our allies in the DPRK?" DPRK stands for Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.
Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned that the provision of weapons to Kyiv ― by any nation ― will be considered as anti-Russian activities and thus negatively affect bilateral ties.
Yoon's remarks also took flak from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), which argued that antagonizing Russia would harm national security.
"If we begin to provide arms, it would deal a heavy blow to [South] Korean companies. What Yoon should have asserted ahead of his state visit to the U.S. is our stance of no military aid to Ukraine," said DPK floor leader Rep. Park Hong-keun. He also pointed out that it is unconstitutional for the president to make a unilateral decision on offering military aid to a foreign country without parliamentary review.
In response to Russia's strong rhetoric, the presidential office explained that South Korea's level of assistance to Ukraine remains unchanged and that Yoon's remarks during the interview were made under the assumption of large-scale attacks on civilians in Ukraine.
"The president's response was based on common sense and principle. The Russian government seems to be commenting on a situation that hasn't happened yet, but what actions we will take in the future depend on Russia's moves," a senior presidential official told reporters, Thursday.
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| Ukrainian soldiers fire howitzer D-30 at the frontline near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday. AP-Yonhap |
The official did not elaborate on what level of "large-scale" attacks on civilians could possibly prompt South Korea to send lethal weapons to Ukraine.
Russia has already been accused of massacre during its occupation of Bucha in March 2022, where at least 300 unarmed Ukrainians were killed.
Moreover, according to Gulagu.net, a Russian human rights organization, two former commanders of the Russian paramilitary Wagner Group recently testified that they killed hundreds of Ukrainian civilians, including some 40 children. The incidents, which were not verified by the Russian authorities, apparently took place in the Donetsk region and Bakhmut in February.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defense reiterated its stance that the government will adhere to its principle of not providing arms to Ukraine. In a regular press briefing, ministry spokesperson Jeon Ha-kyu said the ministry "has not received any orders to review offering military aid."
The government is said to have not received any official complaints from Russia through diplomatic channels on the matter.
Speculation is mounting over what additional support for Kyiv may be included on the agenda during the upcoming summit between Yoon and U.S. President Joe Biden on April 26, with Washington expressing an eagerness to cooperate with South Korea on the matter.
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