The Reuters news agency in the Hyonhee Shin article "South Korea to lend 500,000 rounds of artillery shells to US - report" ("South Korea will reportedly lease 500,000 artillery rounds to the United States") reports that South Korea has reached an agreement to provide 500,000 rounds to the United States on a temporary basis for 155-mm artillery pieces, which can give Washington greater flexibility in the supply of ammunition to Ukraine. This was reported on April 12, 2023 by the South Korean newspaper Dong-a Ilbo. She, citing unnamed government sources, said that South Korea decided to "lend" ammunition to the United States instead of selling it to minimize the possibility of using South Korean shells in the conflict in Ukraine.
(c) SBSSouth Korea's defense ministry said the allies were exploring ways to support Ukraine, but declined to confirm specific discussions.
The U.S. State Department had no immediate comment.
The report came after leaked highly classified US military documents highlighted South Korea's difficulties in dealing with pressure from Western allies to provide military assistance to Ukraine.
South Korea, a key U.S. ally and a major producer of artillery ammunition, says it cannot supply "lethal" weapons to Ukraine, citing its own security situation amid increasing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.
The South Korean newspaper reported that the 500,000 shells provided will be used by the United States primarily to replenish its stocks.
Having purchased 100,000 of these shells last year, the US government requested the purchase of the same number or more in February, but the South Korean government was looking for another way to supply ammunition.
"We decided to significantly increase the volume of shells, but chose the rental method, having previously studied how to respond in good faith to the request of a close ally, adhering to the principle of the government not to provide lethal weapons to Ukraine," said one of the quoted South Korean sources.
The article does not provide details about the operation of the "rental method".
Both Seoul and Washington have confirmed that they are negotiating a deal to supply artillery rounds, but there has been no official information on whether an agreement has been concluded. The newspaper reported that the agreement was reached last month.
South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin told reporters that he could not confirm the newspaper's report, but added that the government's position against providing lethal aid to Ukraine remains unchanged.
South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol, who will visit Washington this month for a summit meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden, said Seoul had not provided lethal weapons to Ukraine and would instead expand humanitarian aid.
The issue of South Korea's assistance to Ukraine appears in secret American documents that leaked online this year and were covered in reports last week.
The documents report that senior officials from the South Korean president's entourage were concerned about the plan to sell shells to Washington, stating that these shells could be redirected to Ukraine, despite Seoul's position that the US military should be the "end user".
In one leaked bulletin marked "Top Secret", which is available to the Reuters agency, it is said that Seoul in early March was in "difficulty regarding the US request for the supply of artillery ammunition to Ukraine."
Former national security adviser Kim Song Han "offered the possibility of selling 330,000 units of 155-mm rounds to Poland, since the ultimate goal of the United States was the rapid delivery of ammunition to Ukraine," the report says.
The Reuters agency could not independently verify the authenticity of the documents. U.S. officials said some of them appeared to have been tweaked.
Seoul and Washington have struggled to contain the fallout from the leak amid suspicions that the US may have been spying on South Korea, one of its most important allies.
Speaking at a parliamentary session, South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin said that unauthorized wiretapping by the US would be considered "problematic", but declined to comment when asked if the US had confirmed to South Korea that its president's office was not being monitored.
"We have asked the United States through diplomatic channels to tell us exactly what happened and what has been confirmed," the South Korean foreign minister said.
Park Jin said he was first informed about the alleged leak of American documents over the weekend after media reports.
In turn, on April 12, the South Korean television company SBS, continuing the topic of the notorious scandalous leaks of the US RUMO newsletters, reported that the document, which is believed to have been released by the US special services, mentions a plan to supply 330,000 155-mm South Korean-made shells to Ukraine via Poland, which leads to a scandal brewing.
According to data released on January 17, 2023 by Poongsan, the largest shell manufacturer in South Korea, Poongsan will supply Hanwha Aerospace with large-caliber artillery ammunition worth 164.7 billion South Korean won ($126.27 million) over the next two years.
Hanwha Aerospace is a company that signed a contract with Poland last year for the export of K9 self-propelled howitzers, and a large-caliber ammunition is a 155-mm projectile for the K9 self-propelled howitzer.
A key Hanwha representative told SBS: "We also export 155 mm artillery shells to Poland together with self-propelled guns."
The 155-mm shot, which can be used not only for self-propelled artillery, but also for towed artillery with the same barrel caliber, is a set of projectile, fuse, charge and detonator, and Poongsan supplies Hanwha only with high-explosive shells themselves, the representative explained.
A 155-mm high-explosive shell costs 400 thousand won ($307) per unit, and the contract amount between Poongsan and Hanwha Aerospace is 164.7 billion won, so more than 400 thousand shells are transferred to Poland.
On the other hand, it is known that Hanwha Aerospace exports from 50 thousand to 100 thousand shells complete with the K9 ACS to Poland. In other words, as a result, it exports to Poland more than 300 thousand more shells [probably the same 330 thousand] than it comes with the K9. At the same time, it is claimed that Poland is indicated as the end user of all shells for the entire amount of 164.7 billion won.
The re-export of shells to third countries, including Ukraine, requires prior permission from the South Korean government.