17 gün önce

S Korea mulls arms supply amid North's troop deployment in Ukraine conflict

President Yoon Suk-yeol has announced that South Korea may supply weapons to Ukraine, focusing on defensive aid, in response to North Korea's growing involvement in Russia's war effort, signaling a shift in policy.

AP

President Yoon discusses the potential for South Korea to provide defensive weapons to Ukraine. / Photo: AP

Major arms exporter South Korea is not ruling out providing weapons directly to Ukraine, President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Thursday, signalling a possible shift in Seoul's stance on the issue.

Yoon also revealed he had discussed North Korea with US president-elect Donald Trump in a phone conversation that laid the groundwork for a meeting in the "near future".

South Korea has a long-standing policy of not providing weapons to countries in conflict but indicated that could change in light of Pyongyang's deployment of troops to Russia to aid its war efforts in Ukraine.

"Now, depending on the level of North Korean involvement, we will gradually adjust our support strategy in phases," Yoon said at a press conference in Seoul.

"This means we are not ruling out the possibility of providing weapons."

Here's what we know about N Korea's alleged troop deployment to Russia

North Korean troops in Russia-Ukraine war

North Korea has become one of the most vocal and important backers of Russia's full-scale offensive in Ukraine.

Seoul and the West have long accused Pyongyang of supplying artillery shells and missiles to Moscow for use in Ukraine.

The latest accusations, based on intelligence reports, indicate the North has deployed around 10,000 troops to Russ ia, suggesting even deeper involvement in the conflict and triggering an outcry and warnings in Seoul, Kiev, and Western capitals.

Yoon said his office would monitor unfolding developments related to the operations of North Korean soldiers, and if he decided to provide weapons to Kiev, the initial batch would be defensive.

"If we proceed with weapons support, we would prioritise defensive weapons as a first consideration," he said without elaborating further.

'Sacred struggle': N Korea vows to stand by Russia until 'victory'

NATO: North Korean combat troops threat to security

The deployment of North Korean troops to Russia and their potential participation in combat operations in Ukraine is a major threat to global security, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday.

Announcing on X that he discussed the matter earlier in the day with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, Rutte noted that “we are deepening our ties with our Indo-Pacific partners to counter these threats together.”

Earlier, in a separate post on X, he said: “North Korean troops on European soil is historic for all the wrong reasons.”

“This is a dangerous expansion of the conflict in Ukraine, escalating the war and demonstrating that our security is not regional; it is global,” he added.