S. Korea reviews aid to Ukraine, but sending weapons ‘not an option’

The South Korean government has been reviewing how to provide humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine, but it does not consider sending lethal weapons as a feasible option, according to South Korea’s Defense Ministry.

Ukraine recently made an official request to the South Korean government asking for humanitarian assistance and military supplies to combat Russia’s invasion.

“We are currently reviewing possible ways to provide assistance at the government level,” ministry spokesperson Boo Seung-chan said on Monday during a televised briefing.

The Ukrainian government reportedly asked Seoul to provide military equipment and lethal weapons including rifles, anti-tank missiles, helmets, bulletproof vests, and food packets.

But the South Korean government is hesitant about supplying lethal weapons such as rifles to Ukraine, which has been locked in a war with Russia since Feb. 24.

“I’d like to clarify that there is a constraint in providing lethal weapons,” Boo said of the ministry’s stance, without providing further details.

Seoul‘s announcement comes as the US, NATO members, and formerly neutral countries such as Sweden and Finland have been funneling weapons, including rocket launchers, surface-to-air and anti-tank missiles and rifles, into Ukraine.

A South Korean official, who wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the issue, told The Korea Herald that the military has not yet officially ruled out the option of providing weapons, but cited certain difficulties in sending weapons to Ukraine.

Instead, the South Korean military is considering “providing blankets, combat rations, and helmets on humanitarian grounds,” according to the official.

The military also plans to send items which can protect civilians in combat zones, the official said, declining to confirm whether Seoul will provide military supplies including protective equipment.

South Korea’s Defense Ministry also needs to consult the Foreign Ministry on deciding the type of supplies to avoid overlap between government ministries.

During the press briefing, spokesperson Boo also refused to confirm how Seoul will provide humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine, given that the matter has been discussed through a diplomatic channel.

The South Korean government has joined the international efforts to support Ukraine in the aftermath of Russia’s armed invasion.

Seoul will provide $10 million for emergency humanitarian aid to help the Ukrainian government, civilians, and refugees who are affected by the war, the Foreign Ministry announced last week.

Since then, Seoul has also announced a series of economic sanctions and restrictions in blocking Moscow from accessing its war chest.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry on Monday announced that it will suspend transactions with the Central Bank of Russia.

As of Monday, Seoul began to ban exports of strategic materials to Belarus, which supports the Russian invasion, and put two entities, including the Belarusian Defense Ministry, on its export blacklist.

Other measures include the exclusion of Russian banks from the SWIFT global payment system, which enables secure and cross-border transactions, the suspension of financial transactions with the seven major Russian banks, and its plan to release oil reserves.

South Korea has also decided to “block the export to Russia of strategic items” which are listed as prohibited by four multilateral export control regimes -- the Missile Technology Control Regime, Wassenaar Arrangement, Nuclear Suppliers Group, and Australia Group.

By Ji Da-gyum (dagyumji@heraldcorp.com)