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| Seen above are 155-milimeter M795 artillery projectiles stored during manufacturing at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Scranton, Pa., April 13. AP-Yonhap |
Seoul partially denies media report of artillery supply to Kyiv
By Nam Hyun-woo
The Korean government is struggling to deal with lingering speculation that exports of its artillery ammunition to the United States will eventually be transferred to Ukraine following the Wall Street Journal's report, Wednesday, indicating the final destination of Seoul's shipment would be Kyiv.
Although Seoul claims the report is not entirely true, it failed to reveal the current situation precisely and whether it plans to provide lethal assistance to the Eastern European state, a move that may deepen Korea's already chilly relations with Russia.
"Regarding the report by the Wall Street Journal on May 24, some of the content are inaccurate," Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Jeon Ha-kyu said at a press conference, Thursday.
"As you may know, there have been discussions between the U.S. Department of Defense and a Korean defense contractor over the export of a certain type of ammunition, but there are limits for me to disclose or confirm the details."
The Wall Street Journal reported that Korea is "proceeding with" the transfer of hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds to the U.S., which in turn has arranged for them to be sent to Ukraine, under a "confidential arrangement."
The report continued that this is "a turnabout by Seoul, which had pledged the artillery in November but then balked at providing lethal assistance." It reported that the decision came after the U.S. asked for help for months as its own supply of artillery drains.
The report also said the White House declined to comment, as did a Korean government spokesman in Seoul.
The artillery shells referenced in the article appear to be 155-milimeter rounds. In November, reports alleged that Korea decided to sell the 155-milimeter shells to the U.S., while there were also articles claiming that the two allies agreed to sell 100,000 rounds, with a plan to transfer them to Ukraine.
At that time, the Korean government said consultations are ongoing under the condition that the shells' end user should be the U.S., reiterating Seoul's stance that it will only provide non-lethal support to Ukraine.
However, reports also said, April 12, that Seoul and Washington signed a deal for Korea to "lend" 500,000 rounds of 155-milimeter rounds to the U.S. At that time, the Korean defense ministry neither confirmed nor denied the report, saying there were ongoing "consultations over ways to provide support for the protection of Ukraine's freedom."
After the report, President Yoon Suk Yeol said in an interview with Reuters on April 19, and signaled a major shift from the principle, stating that it may be difficult for Seoul to insist solely on humanitarian or financial support if there is "a situation the international community cannot condone, such as a large-scale attack on civilians, massacres, or serious violations of the laws of war."
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| Director of National Security Cho Tae-yong speaks during a National Assembly meeting in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap |
Against this backdrop, Korea's Director of National Security Cho Tae-yong faced questions from opposition lawmakers over Seoul's ammunition support to Ukraine during his appearance at the National Assembly, Wednesday, but again neither confirmed nor denied them.
Asked whether Seoul has sent 100,000 rounds to the U.S., 70,000 rounds to Poland and 330,000 rounds to Europe to indirectly assist Ukraine, Cho said "some of the facts are wrong."
"Although there are contracts related to Poongsan Corporation (the manufacturer of Korean 155-milimeter shells), other issues are under consultation between South Korea and the U.S.," Cho said. "However, there is no direct support for Ukraine."
When asked if Seoul is indirectly providing the rounds through the U.S. or Poland, Cho said, "There is no indirect support through Poland."
Cho said that "it is true that a Korean company has sold 100,000 rounds to the U.S.," but declined to confirm whether Seoul is lending 500,000 rounds to the U.S.
"Currently, we are providing humanitarian and financial support to Ukraine," the security director said. "However, Ukraine came under an illegal invasion. We plan to consider it after monitoring the situation on the ground and in light of other situations."
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