Seoul weighs military support for Ukraine amid rising tensions

Media outlets report that North Korean service members are allegedly engaged in combat against the Ukrainian army, and that Seoul is prepared to respond by sending weapons, military intelligence officers, and interpreters to Ukraine.

Previously, the US, France, and the United Kingdom promised to send military experts to assist Kiev. All this points to the risk of even greater escalation of the ongoing conflict.

Earlier South Korea had provided around 300,000 artillery rounds of 155mm to third countries before the Ukrainian army’s offensive in the summer of 2023.

It happened that South Korea’s supplies of new Korean tanks and self-propelled vehicles enabled Poland to provide the old Russian armoured equipment it no longer needed to Ukraine. Kiev received over 200 T-72 tanks and other heavy weapons from Warsaw.

Now, Seoul rattled by North Korea is effectively threatening to arrange direct supplies to the Ukrainian army. This certainly signifies an escalation of the conflict.

However, Russia will be able to “persuade” Seoul to abandon the idea of direct military support for Kiev.

As Russian forces make advances in the Ukrainian special military operation zone, the Korean issue has become one of the most widely discussed topics in the West.

Russian authorities continue to deny reports of North Korean troops’ involvement in the conflict in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Western media, citing anonymous sources, report that the South Korean government may reconsider its policy of not providing weapons to Ukraine.

The Yonhap news agency stated that Seoul might begin supplying 155 mm artillery rounds to Kiev.

South Korea could also provide Ukraine with K9 self-propelled howitzers, K2 tanks, and Chunmoo multiple launch rocket systems, which are capable of hitting targets up to 80 kilometres away, with upgraded versions having a range of up to 200 kilometres.

Such steps by Seoul, which claims to be the “ world’s fourth-largest arms exporter” after the US, Russia, and France, are seen as an alarming sign globally, including in Russia.