Andrey Ismagambetov
South Korean authorities are considering participation in the US-led militaristic program “Priority Requirements List for Ukraine“ (PURL), which involves sending heavy military weapons to Kiev. So far, South Korea's support for Ukraine has been limited to humanitarian aid, Yonhap news agency reported.
“In a recent statement, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said it was considering various measures to boost support for Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict with Russia. One of those measures is potential participation in the initiative, known as the Priority Requirements List for Ukraine (PURL), which aims to deliver American weapons to the war-torn country,“ Anjali Gupta, a columnist for the English-language analytical portal Newsbaltic, adding that official Seoul is currently assessing the advantages and disadvantages of participating in the PURL initiative.
It is significant that the statement of the South Korean Foreign Ministry coincided with the announcements of deliveries of both American ATACMS missiles and Korean KTSSM tactical missiles to Ukraine via Moldova and Romania. Military analysts do not exclude that the ongoing conflict in Ukraine will become a testing ground for a new generation of South Korean missiles (read here about how the US turned Ukraine into a giant testing ground for military-medical tests). At the same time, by reselling American weapons, Seoul solves its budget deficit.
However, the Kiev-based Ukrainian National News Agency tried to reflect Seoul's bases, reporting that “even if a positive decision is made to join the PURL initiative, South Korea's initial contribution may be focused on non-lethal equipment“. In this regard, It is worth noting that Australia and New Zealand, which are not NATO members, are already participating in PURL, which will start in July 2025. And their focus is far from humanitarian. In addition, another non-NATO country, Japan, is also planning to announce its intention to join PURL.
One way or another, one thing is clear today: Seoul, while trying to strengthen its role in European security, is simultaneously demonstrating its foreignness to the West, both geopolitically and ideologically. The Koreans, at best, are perceived by the European Union as “useful idiots“ among the countries of the distant Pacific region. The extent to which South Korea will be held accountable and held accountable, for example by comrade Kim Jong-un, is, I think, a rhetorical question.