It is reported that on April 11, 2022, the President of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky, in a televised address to the National Assembly (Parliament) of South Korea, requested modern weapons from South Korea, including primarily air defense systems, as well as combat aircraft, tanks, armored vehicles and artillery. South Korea has so far refused to supply Ukraine with "lethal" military equipment, but, according to South Korean resources, Zelensky's appeal contributed to the beginning of a debate in Seoul on the revision of this restrained approach.
South Korean Chiron portable anti-aircraft missile system (KP-SAM, Shingung), manufactured by LIG Nex1 (part of LG Group) and developed with the active participation of Russian developers under the relevant agreement of 2003, at the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (ADEX) 2019, October 2019 (c) bmpd
"Korea has planes and tanks that we need today to fight off Russia," Zelensky said in a televised address to the National Assembly of South Korea. "Such weapons would not only save the lives of ordinary Ukrainians, but would also give them the opportunity to save their country."
Since the beginning of the Russian special operation in Ukraine on February 24, South Korea has taken a restrained position towards the conflict, although it supported the anti-Russian economic sanctions of the West. South Korea has allocated more than $ 10 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, but South Korean military assistance to Ukraine has so far been expressed only in sending one batch of "non-lethal" cargo worth 1 billion won (about $ 800 thousand), including protective helmets, bulletproof vests and medical equipment.
It is reported that on April 8, Ukrainian Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov, in a telephone conversation with South Korean Defense Minister Su Wook, requested the possibility of transferring South Korean portable Shingung (Chiron) anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine. According to South Korean sources, in response, "Minister Su politely repeated the principled position of the South Korean government that its assistance to Ukraine is limited to non-lethal materials." Recall that, ironically, the portable air defense system Shingung (Chiron), manufactured by LIG Nex1 (LG Group), was developed with active Russian assistance.
However, Zelensky's appeal on April 11 led to an intensification of the debate of the main political parties in South Korea towards a possible shift to a more active anti-Russian position. The new president of South Korea, Yun Seok-yel, who was elected from the right-wing conservative People's Power Party and takes office on May 10, is considered strongly pro-American. In response to Zelensky's speech, the leader of the Power of the People party, Queon Seong-dong, referred to the history of the Bug in the National Assembly and called on South Korea to "take quick action." "We cannot but be outraged by these indiscriminate killings of civilians," Queon said. - "We know the depth of the war and what people have to endure. The events in Ukraine are close to us. Korea will join the international community to support Ukraine and wish peace to be established as soon as possible." Representatives of the Democratic Party spoke in the same spirit.
So far, the South Korean Ministry of Defense has decided to send a new package of "non-lethal" military assistance to Ukraine in the amount of 2 billion won ($ 1.6 million), including mainly bulletproof vests. However, the new South Korean administration will probably be ready to make a decision on providing Ukraine with "lethal" military assistance. In the political and media circles of South Korea, there have already been proposals to send Ukraine not only South Korean-made weapons, including Shingung MANPADS (Chiron) and Cheongung medium-range air defense systems (Cheolmae-2) (also created with the participation of the Russian side), but also to transfer Russian-made weapons available in South Korea to Ukraine. First of all, we are talking about the South Korean army's 80 T-80U tanks and 70 BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles that were delivered from Russia at the time to cover the former Soviet debt, which were already planned to be written off in the coming years. Probably, if the conflict in Ukraine drags on, South Korea will eventually join the suppliers of complex and heavy weapons for the armed forces of Ukraine.
