Korea - World War III.2
South Korea is an ally of the US-led collective Western countries alliance that has been fighting a proxy war against Russia since Moscow launched its "special military operation" against Ukraine in early 2022. Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, South Korea maintained a policy of providing only humanitarian aid and non-lethal military supplies to Ukraine.
South Korea's National Intelligence Service confirmed the enhanced military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang although, as yet, it is the only official institution to do so. Russia and North Korea denyied the move, while the U.S. Pentagon has yet to confirm it. President Yoon Suk Yeol said on 21 October 2024 that the South Korean government will never just sit and watch North Korea and Russia deepening their military ties. The president made the remarks during a phone call with North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte, while sharing information on the North’s deployment of its troops for Russia’s war against Ukraine and discussing responses to the matter. According to the NIS, North Korea began deploying around 15-hundred special forces troops to Russia as of October 8th, with more deployments anticipated. The soldiers are currently stationed at Russian military bases, undergoing training before deployment.
South Korea explicitly denied requests from Ukraine's Defence Minister, Rustem Umerov, to be allowed to buy South Korean weapons and ammunition.
The president told Rutte that North Korea, which has provided Russia with massive weapons of mass destruction, is now sending its elite troops to support Russia’s war efforts, adding South Korea’s spy agency recently found that about 15-hundred North Korean special forces were deployed to Russia for training and acclimatizing at local military bases. Yoon said that Russia's invasion of Ukraine and reckless military cooperation between Russia and North Korea reaffirm that the security of the Indo-Pacific region and the Atlantic region are inextricably linked. He added that Russia’s invasion and military ties between Moscow and Pyongyang fundamentally undermine the rules-based international order and pose a threat to peace of the Korean Peninsula and the world. The president said that his government will actively take steps in accordance with the progress of military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, while closely monitoring the movements of the two nations.
Expressing grave concerns about the North’s troop dispatch, the NATO chief said that NATO is ready to actively cooperate with South Korea to respond to military ties between North Korea and Russia, which pose threats to global peace and safety. Rutte also asked Yoon to send a government delegation to NATO to share detailed information on the matter, expressing hope that NATO, South Korea and Ukraine will strengthen defense cooperation and security dialogue to deal with the North’s troop dispatch.
South Korea, after a long period of resistance, changed its position thanks to a joint declaration with the United States on security issues. During a visit to Washington, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said the international community must stand up to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and hinted that his government was considering a transfer of artillery shells. It took the United States several months to persuade Seoul to provide the Ukrainian Defense Forces with lethal weapons as the Pentagon's stockpile dwindles. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the Pentagon has provided Ukraine with more than two million 155 mm ammunition. They used their warehouses in Germany, Israel, Kuwait and South Korea. In November 2022, South Korea announced that it would provide lethal aid to Ukraine, but after this information was made public, it decided to "back off", fearing to deviate from its political line.
In March 2023, South Korea agreed with the United States on the loan of 500 000 155 mm artillery shells. According to anonymous government sources, South Korea decided not to sell the ammunition, but to lend it, in order to minimize the possibility of using these shells in the war in Ukraine. South Korea's defense ministry said the allies were looking for ways to support Ukraine to help protect its freedom, but declined to provide details. According to South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, the government's position on providing lethal aid to Ukraine remains unchanged. South Korea decided not to sell the ammunition, but to lend it, in order to minimize the possibility of using these shells in the war in Ukraine. It is noted that the United States will use these shells to replenish its own stocks.
"We decided to significantly increase the amount of shells, but to use the loan method, after examining how to respond in good faith to an ally's request while adhering to the government's principle of not providing lethal weapons to Ukraine," journalists quoted an unnamed official as saying. South Korea's export control rules stipulate that its weapons sold to a foreign country must not be resold to a third country without Seoul's approval. South Korea's position was that it cooperates with the United States, but does not enter into conflict with Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un signed the "comprehensive strategic partnership pact" and agreed to provide military assistance if they are ever attacked. Kim, an ally of the Russian leader, praised Putin for his "correct decision and guidance... to foil the hostile forces' escalating threats." The North Korean leader promised his Russian counterpart "full support", describing the war in Ukraine as a US "proxy war" aimed at destroying Russia. North Korea "expresses full support and solidarity with the Russian government, army and people in carrying out a special military operation in Ukraine to protect their sovereignty, security interests, as well as territorial integrity," Kim said.
South Korea said 20 June 2024 it would review the possibility of supplying weapons to Ukraine, after North Korea and Russia signed a mutual defense pact during President Vladimir Putin's visit to Pyongyang. In an official statement, Seoul condemned the agreement, saying it violates United Nations sanctions. The presidential office said South Korea will reconsider the issue of arms supply to Ukraine, but will maintain strategic ambiguity regarding the types of weapons. "Specific measures will be revealed later, and it will be interesting to see how Russia responds, rather than revealing our plans in advance," National security adviser Chang Ho-jin told reporters. "Especially as a permanent member of the UN Security Council that led sanctions against North Korea, Russia's violation of its resolutions by supporting North Korea threatens our security and will inevitably harm Seoul-Moscow relations." Chang said the pact would aid North Korea to enhance its military capabilities. "We plan to reconsider the issue of arms support to Ukraine." Chang said he sees any form of cooperation that provides direct or indirect support towards building up North Korea's military as a violation of United Nations Security Council sanctions.
The U.S. State Department said it welcomed "any support to Ukraine" in fighting Russia's aggression, but the question of supplying weapons is each country's decision to make. Washington also expressed deep concern over Putin's threat to supply Pyongyang with weapons, as a response to support for Kyiv, warning such a move would "destabilize" the Korean Peninsula.
South Korea's measures to potentially send weapons support to Ukraine will depend on Russia's attitude. That's according to President Yoon Suk Yeol's office, a day after Seoul announced it will reconsider its policy of sending non-lethal aid to Kyiv, as North Korea and Russia signed a deal on military and economic cooperation. Yoon's office said a variety of measures could be considered to support Ukraine with weapons, with specific measures to be reviewed depending on how the Kremlin responds to Seoul's position on recent developments.
Putin warned that it will be a "big mistake" if South Korea provides lethal weapons to Ukraine and that Russia will respond if it does. Putin made the statement during a press conference in Hanoi, Vietnam, as he concluded his tour of North Korea and Vietnam. Regarding the North and Russia signing the treaty, Putin said there is nothing new compared to the one signed in the 1960s and that South Korea does not need to worry as the military assistance only applies when either one is attacked. However, he added that Russia is currently monitoring the situation as Ukraine's attacks on the border area of Belgorod with Western long-range weapons are considered an invasion. He also said that Moscow does not rule out providing Pyongyang with high-precision weapons in response to Western countries providing weapons to Ukraine.
President Yoon Seok Yeol arrived on an unannounced visit to Ukraine 15 July 2023 after a trip to Poland. Yoon becomes first South Korean leader to make a state visit to a country at war. Yoon’s office said that he travelled to Ukraine with his wife, Kim Keon-hee, following trips to Lithuania for a NATO summit and to Poland. It is his first visit since Russia invaded Ukraine almost 17 months ago.
Yoon toured Bucha and Irpin, two small cities near Kyiv where mass graves and bodies of civilians were found in the streets after Russian troops retreated from the capital region last year. Yoon paid respects to Ukraine's fighters at memorial wall. “The president first toured the Bucha city massacre site near the capital Kyiv and the city of Irpin, where missile attacks were concentrated on civilian residential areas,” Yoon’s senior adviser for press affairs, Kim Eun-hye, said in a statement.
Korea pledged US$150 million in humanitarian aid in 2023. Seoul and Kyiv agreed to expand cooperation between the governments and companies of the two countries in projects to restore Ukraine. This was stated by South Korean President Yun Sok-yeol during a press conference following the summit in Kyiv with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky. The Republic of Korea will supply Ukraine with more non-lethal military assistance in 2023 than in 2022. "The Republic of Korea will continue to provide the necessary military assistance to Ukraine. Last year, we supplied <...> helmets and bulletproof vests. This year we will provide military assistance on a large scale," Yun Seok-yeol said.
An employee of the administration of the South Korean leader said that the South Korean side during the president's visit to Ukraine would discuss with Kiev assistance measures that will not contradict the principles of Seoul. The Republic of Korea provided humanitarian and financial assistance to Ukraine, supplied non-lethal military items such as mine detectors and body armor, but did not supply weapons. In April, Yoon Seok-yeol said that Seoul could supply arms in the event of a "gross violation of the laws of war". Yun Seok Yeol said "We agreed to expand cooperation between companies and governments for the sake of restoring Ukraine".
South Korea is one of the world's largest arms exporters and had large stockpiles of ammunition. Seoul has sent millions of dollars of humanitarian aid to Ukraine since the Russian invasion in 2022, but Kyiv had been pleading with the US ally to send military aid. South Korea was reluctant to do so for two reasons: an economic relationship with Russia worth billions of dollars, and fears that sending arms to Ukraine would provoke Moscow to arm or otherwise aid Pyongyang.
President Yoon Suk Yeol, stated "I believe that the ‘Miracle on the Dnipro River’ will certainly come true. The Republic of Korea will become a partner in promoting freedom, peace, and prosperity in Ukraine, and will become a reliable partner contributing together with Ukraine to freedom, peace, and prosperity in the world." The South Korean leader pointed out that in 2022 humanitarian aid was estimated at $100 million, this year it will amount to $150 million. Yoon Seok-yeol also raised the issue of financial assistance. "For the sake of Ukraine's financial stability, we plan to provide new financial assistance in cooperation with the World Bank," he said.
Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrainian President, said "Specifically, we can conclude with joy that an agreement on the transfer of specialized vehicles and technical equipment, including for de-mining, is already being implemented. This helps us preserve human lives. Thank you, Mr President, for new initiatives regarding financial, technical and humanitarian aid to Ukraine."
After the two leaders met, Zelenskyy thanked Seoul for its “firm support of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” and the “significant political, security, economic and humanitarian aid” it has supplied since the start of Russia’s war. “Today, during this first visit of the president of the Republic of Korea to Ukraine in the history of our relations, we talked about everything that is important for people to lead a normal and safe life,” Zelenskyy said, adding, “Thank you for the meaningful talks. Thank you for your strong support.”
South Korea and Ukraine also agreed to work together on the implementation of the "Ukrainian Peace and Solidarity Initiative", which includes South Korean humanitarian assistance, security support and cooperation in the reconstruction of the country. In addition, Yoon Seok Yeol said that he had agreed with a colleague on "the prompt delivery of humanitarian aid items needed by Ukrainians." Yoon also said that he and Zelenskyy agreed on cooperating on post-war reconstruction efforts in Ukraine. Additionally, South Korea will also launch a scholarship fund named after Yoon and Zelenskyy to expand support for Ukrainian students in South Korea.
Yoon said that the security of the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions is closely intertwined, saying: “In particular, the war in Ukraine has reminded us all that a security crisis in one particular region can have a global impact.” Yoon said “Ukraine now reminds me of South Korea of the past” hailing the international assistance that allowed his country to “pull off a miraculous victory” over the North and eventually rise to become one of the world’s major economies.
A United States ally and rising arms exporter, South Korea has faced renewed pressure to provide weapons to Ukraine, which Yoon’s administration has resisted in favour of humanitarian and financial aid, wary of Russia’s influence over North Korea. Yoon had said this week that his administration was preparing to send de-mining equipment and ambulances, following a request from Ukraine, and will join NATO’s trust fund for Ukraine. Zelenskyy asked Yoon to boost military support when they first met in May 2023. South Korea’s defence ministry said it was discussing exporting ammunition to the US.
However, in May 2023. South Korea dismissed a US media report that its artillery rounds were heading to Ukraine via the US, saying its position on not providing lethal aid to Kyiv was unchanged. “We view Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a challenge to the international community’s freedom, human rights and the rule of law,” Yoon said upon meeting Polish President Andrzej Duda on 13 June 2023, adding that South Korea could be a good partner in rebuilding Ukraine.
South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it planned to support the reconstruction of Ukraine’s infrastructure, such as transport, energy and industry. South Korean companies and companies in Ukraine and other countries signed agreements on Friday to cooperate in the reconstruction of Ukraine, the ministry said in a statement.
Russia warned South Korea that sending weapons or military hardware to Ukraine, either directly or indirectly will "crash out" the two countries' relationship. The words of Georgy Zinovyev, the director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's First Asian Department, speaking to TASS News Agency on 11 September 2023 at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok. Zinovyev said though Moscow believes Seoul is not providing lethal weapons to Kyiv, only economic and humanitarian aid, it is (quote) "closely watching Korea's attitude" to the war in Ukraine.
By October 2024 the Republic of Korea seemed to Russian observers to be actively working to lose its status as the most "friendly of unfriendly" countries. The South Korean intelligence report on the transfer of North Korean troops to Russia to prepare for participation in the NWO was published at the peak of the latest escalation between Seoul and Pyongyang and is in many ways a continuation of the escalation of tensions not only on the Korean Peninsula, but also in the Ukrainian direction.
In June 2024, after the signing of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement between Moscow and Pyongyang, Seoul indicated that the transfer of Russian high-precision weapons to the DPRK would be the red lines for the Republic of Korea. There was no talk of any retaliatory actions in the event of sending North Korean troops to the NWO zone. Moreover, the signed agreement, which was recently ratified, implies such an option.
One of the main questions was why the security bloc of President Yun Seok-yol is going to such a serious escalation of relations with Russia? The countermeasures announced by the South Korean leadership, if implemented, will cross out two years of the “leave room for maneuver” foreign policy and will take a new course in Russian-South Korean relations – “if the barn burns down, let the house burn too.” Moreover, the situation has escalated against the backdrop of factional struggle in the Republic of Korea, since the opposition party calls for a more restrained reaction to the possible participation of the North Korean Armed Forces in the Ukrainian conflict, and the security bloc not only insists on direct arms supplies to Ukraine, but also suggests taking advantage of the situation by agreeing with the Ukrainian Armed Forces to strike North Korean troops, and then demonstrating losses for conducting a psychological war with the DPRK.
In reality, a special operation in Ukraine is an excellent way to further strengthen the presidential security bloc in South Korea, especially considering the rating of Yun Seok-yol himself, who prefers to deal with foreign policy issues more than with problems within the country. Demonization of Russian-North Korean relations in the hopes of uniting the world community and citizens of the Republic of Korea around this problem will most likely not lead to the expected results, but will only finally spoil the dialogue between Moscow and Seoul.
The opposition Democratic Party of Korea argued in October 2024 that " if even one soldier is sent overseas, it is a military deployment and the consent of the National Assembly is required ." The South Korean government is considering sending military observers to monitor the movements of North Korean troops in Russia , but the Democratic Party of Korea is putting the brakes on this, saying that "the National Assembly should consent as stipulated in the Constitution ." Article 60 of the Constitution states that "The National Assembly has the right to consent to the declaration of war, the deployment of the national armed forces overseas, and the stationing of foreign troops in the territory of the Republic of Korea." On this issue, constitutional scholars point out that "the 'dispatch of the national armed forces overseas,' for which the Constitution requires the consent of the National Assembly , means the deployment of armed forces for the purpose of combat , and the opposition's argument is unreasonable."
In fact, a military observer group of the South Korean military was sent to Iraq during the Roh administration , but this time it was not approved by the National Assembly. Given the high possibility that North Korean troops, estimated at more than 10,000, will engage in fighting with Ukraine in Russia, the opposition is obstructing an opportunity to send military observers to Ukraine to understand the realities of modern warfare, including the North Korean military's fighting strength, actual condition, and drone tactics, on the grounds of "dispatch of troops," which has led to criticism that this is too politically strategic.
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