Yoon Suk Yeol, the President of South Korea promised to increase his country’s non-lethal assistance to Ukraine during a meeting with Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, in Seoul.
Olena Zelenska visited South Korea as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s special representative. During her meeting with Yoon, Zelenska entreated South Korea expand its support of non-lethal military supplies, such as equipment for detecting and removing mines as well as ambulance vehicles, Yoon’s office disclosed.
The South Korean President’s Spokesperson, Lee Do Woon stated during a briefing that Yoon replied that his government would closely coordinate with NATO and other international partners to “actively support the Ukrainian people.”
According to comments made by his office, Yoon also condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying the “horrific losses of innocent lives, especially women and children, are unacceptable under any circumstances.”
Meanwhile, Lee Do Woon divulged that Zelenska made no request for South Korean weapons supplies during her conversation with Yoon. “Rather, the First Lady expressed her understanding of the difficulties South Korea may face in providing arms,” the official noted.
The Spokesperson stated that Zelenska also asked for the participation of South Korean businesses in Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction efforts.
Ukraine Is “Always Waiting For Friends”
In an interview with South Korea’s news agency, Zelenska raised the possibility of Yoon visiting Ukraine. When asked if Ukraine plans to invite Yoon to Kyiv, Zelenska answered that Ukraine is “always waiting for friends.”
“Such a visit would be very supportive to Ukrainians because it is a way to share our confrontation with us, at least for a day of our lives,” Zelenska remarked.
An official revealed that the First Lady of Ukraine held a separate meeting with South Korean First Lady, Kim Keon Hee. Kim spoke highly of Zelenska for her courageous and dedicated efforts to promote children’s education, care for war orphans and offer rehabilitation and psychological therapy for veterans.
Zelenska’s trip to South Korea follows her husband, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s European tour which included stops at Italy, the Vatican, Germany, France and the U.K. The leaders pledged to give weapons to Ukraine.
In addition to joining U.S.-led economic sanctions against Moscow, South Korea, a rising arms exporter with a well-equipped military supported by the United States, has sent humanitarian aid and other forms of support to Ukraine. However, due to a long-standing policy of not sending weapons to nations that are actively engaged in conflict, it has not directly delivered armaments to Ukraine.
In January, during a visit to South Korea, NATO Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg urged South Korea to directly support Ukraine militarily, arguing that Kyiv urgently needs weaponry to fend off the protracted Russian assault.
The NATO Secretary-General called on South Korea to “step up on the specific issue of military support,” noting that several NATO members and allies, including Germany, Norway and Sweden, have changed their policies of not exporting weapons to countries in conflict to support Ukraine.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, South Korea has agreed to deals worth billions of dollars to supply Poland, a NATO member, with tanks, howitzers, fighter planes, and other weaponry.
Although South Korean authorities have insisted that the munitions were intended to replenish depleted U.S. stocks, an American official divulged in November, 2022 that the United States had agreed to purchase 100,000 artillery rounds from South Korean producers for Ukraine.
