{"id":2196729,"date":"2022-06-09T15:18:32","date_gmt":"2022-06-09T06:18:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/pro\/?p=2196729"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:12:17","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:12:17","slug":"arming-kyiv-ukraine-gives-south-korea-a-chance-to-prove-its-a-world-player","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/arming-kyiv-ukraine-gives-south-korea-a-chance-to-prove-its-a-world-player\/","title":{"rendered":"Arming Kyiv: Ukraine gives South Korea a chance to prove it\u2019s a world player"},"content":{"rendered":"

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has promised that South Korea will play a bigger role on the international stage under his leadership. And Seoul has a chance to do just that by answering calls from Ukraine and the U.S. for weapons to repel Russia\u2019s invasion.<\/span><\/p>\n

After the outbreak of war, the previous Moon Jae-in administration <\/span>hesitated to endorse sanctions<\/span><\/a>, giving the impression Seoul was more interested in protecting its Russian trade ties and holding onto the faint hope that its neighbor would support its dovish inter-Korean initiatives.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a candidate, Yoon sought to contrast himself with Moon\u2019s hedging in international affairs, stating that South Korea should <\/span>rise to the challenge<\/span><\/a> of being a \u201cglobal pivotal state\u201d that \u201cadvances freedom, peace and prosperity through liberal democratic values and substantial cooperation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But as president, Yoon\u2019s \u201cglobal\u201d focus has largely been limited to issues that mostly affect the immediate region, like strengthening the <\/span>alliance with the U.S.<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>rebuilding relations with Japan<\/span><\/a> and taking a <\/span>firm stand against China<\/span><\/a>. This has served him politically because these were all areas that Moon was accused of being soft on.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stepping up in the fight against Russian aggression \u2014 the most immediate threat to the international order today \u2014 would not only allow Seoul to strengthen relations with the U.S., but also send the message that the international community will oppose unwarranted aggression wherever it takes place. An Asian country taking a strong stand in Europe would set a strong precedent in the event of a conflict that more directly impacts South Korea, such as over Taiwan or even on the Korean Peninsula.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

South Korea is cautious about sending lethal aid to Ukraine | Image: \ub300\ud55c\ubbfc\uad6d \uad6d\uad70 Republic of Korea Armed Forces<\/a> (Feb. 22, 2016)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI NEED AMMUNITION\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

South Korea has donated <\/span>millions of dollars<\/span><\/a> in non-lethal aid to Ukraine, and it is keen to help <\/span>rebuild<\/span><\/a> the country after the war is over. However, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has oft-repeated, what his country <\/span>really needs<\/span><\/a> to fight off the Russians are <\/span>weapons<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Seoul has said it is hesitant to send tanks and jets to Ukraine not only because it would take <\/span>months of training<\/span><\/a> to be able to use them, but also since it would affect South Korea\u2019s own military readiness.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, South Korea always faces a threat from North Korea. This has been particularly clear over the past few months as Pyongyang has tested a number of missiles and reportedly prepared to conduct another <\/span>nuclear test<\/span><\/a>, suspected to be for a smaller warhead to arm a tactical weapon.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite this, the Yoon administration might be more open to the idea of supplying Ukraine with lethal aid indirectly. Last week, Seoul <\/span>reported<\/span><\/a> that Ottowa asked if it could export 155-millimeter artillery shells to Canada \u2014 which has itself been supplying weapons to Ukraine \u2014 due to a shortage.<\/span><\/p>\n

This suggests that while South Korea can spare some weapons, it is more worried that giving them directly to Ukraine could harm relations with Russia.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Moscow already designated South Korea as an <\/span>\u201cunfriendly\u201d state<\/span><\/a> months ago just for joining international sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine. And the impact of a diplomatic fallout would be far less than on European countries, which had much stronger economic and energy ties with Russia.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite Russia and South Korea\u2019s geographic proximity, a <\/span>hypothetical pipeline<\/span><\/a> between the two would inevitably have to pass through the North. Yet while Russia\u2019s ambassador to South Korea <\/span>warned<\/span><\/a> in February that Moscow would be of \u201cno help\u201d to three-way cooperative projects in the future, inter-Korean and U.S.-DPRK relations are so poor that there was little prospect of anything happening anyway.<\/span><\/p>\n

Any such cooperation would also depend on North Korea\u2019s progress toward nuclear disarmament, but Russia already <\/span>vetoed<\/span><\/a> a new sanctions resolution designed to pressure the DPRK in May following a spate of missile testing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Yoon Suk-yeol is expected to attend the NATO summit at the end of June | Image: NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization<\/a> (Aug. 18, 2016)<\/p><\/div>\n

GOING FORWARD: NATO SUMMIT<\/b><\/p>\n

There are a number of opportunities for South Korea to discuss its stance on the war in Ukraine with officials from various countries over the next few weeks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite <\/span>reports<\/span><\/a> that the U.S. and South Korea were in talks concerning lethal aid in the weeks prior, Washington apparently <\/span>did not ask Seoul<\/span><\/a> for anything at Yoon\u2019s summit with U.S. President Joe Biden last month.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Biden and European leaders have a chance to persuade Yoon at the upcoming NATO summit in late June, which the South Korean president <\/span>may attend<\/span><\/a>. This comes after South Korea\u2019s National Intelligence Service (NIS) became the <\/span>first spy agency in Asia<\/span><\/a> to join NATO\u2019s Cyber Defense Group in May, showing that Seoul is increasing involvement with the multinational alliance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yesterday, South Korea\u2019s foreign ministry appeared cautious in response to <\/span>another request<\/span><\/a> for weapons from Ukrainian deputy foreign minister Dmytro Senik during his visit to Seoul.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, South Korea\u2019s ruling party leader Lee Jun-seok and a delegation of lawmakers just wrapped up a visit to Ukraine, where they <\/span>met with top officials<\/span><\/a> including Zelensky and witnessed the scale of Russia\u2019s destruction firsthand. Lee might encourage Yoon to do more when he discusses the visit with the president soon after the delegation\u2019s return on Friday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Expect more announcements for aid and plans to strengthen ties with NATO countries in the coming weeks. South Korea could also move to resupply countries like Canada that have sent their own weapons to Ukraine.<\/span><\/p>\n

Edited by Bryan Betts<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Defense & Security<\/span><\/a>Inter-Korean & Foreign Relations<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has promised that South Korea will play a bigger role on the international stage under his leadership. And Seoul has a chance to do just that by answering calls from Ukraine and the U.S. for weapons to repel Russia\u2019s invasion. After the outbreak of war, the previous Moon Jae-in administration […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3665,"featured_media":2196730,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[26,28],"yoast_head":"\nArming Kyiv: Ukraine gives South Korea a chance to prove it\u2019s a world player - KOREA PRO<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/arming-kyiv-ukraine-gives-south-korea-a-chance-to-prove-its-a-world-player\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Arming Kyiv: Ukraine gives South Korea a chance to prove it\u2019s a world player - KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has promised that South Korea will play a bigger role on the international stage under his leadership. And Seoul has a chance to do just that by answering calls from Ukraine and the U.S. for weapons to repel Russia\u2019s invasion. After the outbreak of war, the previous Moon Jae-in administration […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/arming-kyiv-ukraine-gives-south-korea-a-chance-to-prove-its-a-world-player\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-06-09T06:18:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-04-05T07:12:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/06\/Ukrainian-President-Volodymyr-Zelensky-Image-U.S.-Department-of-State-April-25-2022-1-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"935\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Bishawjit\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@southkoreapro\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@southkoreapro\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"James Fretwell\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/arming-kyiv-ukraine-gives-south-korea-a-chance-to-prove-its-a-world-player\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/arming-kyiv-ukraine-gives-south-korea-a-chance-to-prove-its-a-world-player\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Bishawjit\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/person\/313e6f940bf1ae7b8cc487ec00b1b562\"},\"headline\":\"Arming Kyiv: Ukraine gives South Korea a chance to prove it\u2019s a world player\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-06-09T06:18:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-05T07:12:17+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/arming-kyiv-ukraine-gives-south-korea-a-chance-to-prove-its-a-world-player\/\"},\"wordCount\":954,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Defense & Security\",\"Inter-Korean & Foreign Relations\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Analysis\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/arming-kyiv-ukraine-gives-south-korea-a-chance-to-prove-its-a-world-player\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/arming-kyiv-ukraine-gives-south-korea-a-chance-to-prove-its-a-world-player\/\",\"name\":\"Arming Kyiv: Ukraine gives South Korea a chance to prove it\u2019s a world player - KOREA PRO\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-06-09T06:18:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-05T07:12:17+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/arming-kyiv-ukraine-gives-south-korea-a-chance-to-prove-its-a-world-player\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/arming-kyiv-ukraine-gives-south-korea-a-chance-to-prove-its-a-world-player\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/arming-kyiv-ukraine-gives-south-korea-a-chance-to-prove-its-a-world-player\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Arming Kyiv: Ukraine gives South Korea a chance to prove it\u2019s a world player\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/\",\"name\":\"KOREA PRO\",\"description\":\"Be smart about South Korea. Up-to-date analysis on foreign relations, politics, society and economy. Made by the producers of NK PRO and NK News.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"KOREA PRO\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png\",\"width\":360,\"height\":50,\"caption\":\"KOREA PRO\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/southkoreapro\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Arming Kyiv: Ukraine gives South Korea a chance to prove it\u2019s a world player - KOREA PRO","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/arming-kyiv-ukraine-gives-south-korea-a-chance-to-prove-its-a-world-player\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Arming Kyiv: Ukraine gives South Korea a chance to prove it\u2019s a world player - KOREA PRO","og_description":"South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has promised that South Korea will play a bigger role on the international stage under his leadership. And Seoul has a chance to do just that by answering calls from Ukraine and the U.S. for weapons to repel Russia\u2019s invasion. After the outbreak of war, the previous Moon Jae-in administration […]","og_url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/arming-kyiv-ukraine-gives-south-korea-a-chance-to-prove-its-a-world-player\/","og_site_name":"KOREA PRO","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/","article_published_time":"2022-06-09T06:18:32+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-04-05T07:12:17+00:00","og_image":[{"width":935,"height":500,"url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/06\/Ukrainian-President-Volodymyr-Zelensky-Image-U.S.-Department-of-State-April-25-2022-1-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Bishawjit","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@southkoreapro","twitter_site":"@southkoreapro","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"James Fretwell","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/arming-kyiv-ukraine-gives-south-korea-a-chance-to-prove-its-a-world-player\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/arming-kyiv-ukraine-gives-south-korea-a-chance-to-prove-its-a-world-player\/"},"author":{"name":"Bishawjit","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/person\/313e6f940bf1ae7b8cc487ec00b1b562"},"headline":"Arming Kyiv: Ukraine gives South Korea a chance to prove it\u2019s a world player","datePublished":"2022-06-09T06:18:32+00:00","dateModified":"2023-04-05T07:12:17+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/arming-kyiv-ukraine-gives-south-korea-a-chance-to-prove-its-a-world-player\/"},"wordCount":954,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization"},"keywords":["Defense & Security","Inter-Korean & Foreign Relations"],"articleSection":["Analysis"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/arming-kyiv-ukraine-gives-south-korea-a-chance-to-prove-its-a-world-player\/","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/arming-kyiv-ukraine-gives-south-korea-a-chance-to-prove-its-a-world-player\/","name":"Arming Kyiv: Ukraine gives South Korea a chance to prove it\u2019s a world player - KOREA PRO","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website"},"datePublished":"2022-06-09T06:18:32+00:00","dateModified":"2023-04-05T07:12:17+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/arming-kyiv-ukraine-gives-south-korea-a-chance-to-prove-its-a-world-player\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/arming-kyiv-ukraine-gives-south-korea-a-chance-to-prove-its-a-world-player\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/arming-kyiv-ukraine-gives-south-korea-a-chance-to-prove-its-a-world-player\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Arming Kyiv: Ukraine gives South Korea a chance to prove it\u2019s a world player"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/","name":"KOREA PRO","description":"Be smart about South Korea. Up-to-date analysis on foreign relations, politics, society and economy. Made by the producers of NK PRO and NK News.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization","name":"KOREA PRO","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png","width":360,"height":50,"caption":"KOREA PRO"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/southkoreapro"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2196729"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3665"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2196729"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2196729\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2199423,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2196729\/revisions\/2199423"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2196730"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2196729"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2196729"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2196729"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}