South Korea may send offensive weapons to Ukraine for the first time since the start of full-scale war, the agency reported Yonhap, citing Seoul authorities.
South Korea has called for the immediate withdrawal of North Korean troops from Russia because otherwise, possible scenarios include sending defensive and offensive weapons, a senior official said.
So far, Seoul has maintained its position of providing only non-lethal humanitarian aid to Ukraine. South Korea has pledged to work with its allies to take countermeasures against military cooperation between North Korea and Russia.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) states that this is precisely the greatest fear of Russian President Vladimir Putin – South Korea to begin providing lethal military aid to Kyiv.
Amid the growing cooperation between the Russian Federation and the DPRK, the South Korean Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador. The Russians tried to portray this as a simple voluntary meeting rather than a diplomatic challenge, adding that cooperation between the Russian Federation and North Korea “is not directed against security interests” of Seoul.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov tried to assure that this cooperation “should not cause concern” in other countries. According to ISW analysts, the Kremlin's behavior shows that the Russian leadership is deeply disturbed by the prospect of South Korea moving to provide the necessary military support to Ukraine.
The entry of North Korea into Russia's war against Ukraine would represent a huge escalation of the conflict. North Korea has denied reports that it is providing troops to Russia that could be used in the conflict in Ukraine. Pyongyang's permanent representative to the UN described Seoul's claim as a “baseless rumour”.