South Korea may consider direct arms deliveries to Kiev as part of countermeasures against Russia‘s increasing military cooperation with North Korea. According to Reuters, the office of the South Korean president stated this today. Seoul says Pyongyang has sent troops to Russia to fight in Ukraine on Moscow’s side.
South Korea’s secret service said last week that the DPRK had moved 1,500 special forces personnel to the Russian Far East to undergo training at military bases there for combat in Ukraine. In total, according to her, Pyongyang wants to send 12,000 troops to support Russia.
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South Korea’s deputy national security adviser Kim Tae-hyo said that diplomatic, economic and military measures are being prepared in view of various scenarios of military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow, including the provision of lethal weapons to Ukraine in the event of a worsening situation.
“In step-by-step scenarios, we would consider supplying weapons for defensive purposes, and if they seem to be going too far, we could also consider offensive use,” said a senior official in the president’s office, Jun Suk-jol.
Seoul, a major arms producer worldwide, is under pressure from some Western countries and Kiev to supply deadly weapons to Ukraine. So far, it has only provided non-lethal equipment such as demining agents to the country attacked by Russia.
The South Korean president’s office hinted at the possibility of providing weapons to Ukraine already in June, when Russia and North Korea signed a mutual defense treaty. However, according to Reuters, the current statement represents the most visible sign yet of a possible more active approach by Seoul in this matter.
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“Our government has called for the immediate withdrawal of North Korean troops, and if the current military alliance between North Korea and Russia continues, we will not stand idly by and together with the international community will respond strongly,” South Korea’s Security Council said in a statement after its emergency meeting today.
A representative of the president’s office also said that a team of South Korean intelligence and military officials would visit NATO headquarters “in the coming days.” On Monday, the head of the North Atlantic Alliance, Mark Rutte, spoke with President Jun Suk-yol about the possible deployment of North Korean soldiers in the fighting in Ukraine. He asked Seoul to send such a delegation to strengthen information exchange.
North Korea has strengthened military ties with Moscow in recent years. Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Pyongyang in June, where he signed a defense agreement with leader Kim Jong Un. Both countries pledged to immediately use all available military resources to help their partner in the event of war. Both countries deny claims by Ukrainian and Western officials about North Korean arms and ammunition supplies to Russia.
