On the 14th alone, 3 ruling party lawmakers mention 'indefinite support'
Opposition Yoon Geon-yeong: "It's like urging to join the war... What about the safety of companies and overseas Koreans?"
Members of the People Power Party have brought up the possibility of providing weapons support for the Ukraine war, making it a new point of contention in the political arena. The core of the support speculation is the consideration of supplying lethal weapons as a warning measure in response to the recent North Korea-Russia summit. Although it is not the official stance of the ruling party, three ruling party lawmakers mentioned weapons support for Ukraine on the 14th alone. These include lawmakers Seong Il-jong, Ha Tae-kyung, and Yoon Sang-hyun.
In an interview with MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus,' Lawmaker Seong said, "What North Korea currently needs is advanced technology such as nuclear submarine technology or space rocket launch technology, and our government should also control this." He added, "We have many advanced weapons from Korea's defense industry, and if we were to support Ukraine with these weapons, Russia could suffer significant damage."
When the host asked, "Do you mean that we should consider supplying lethal weapons to Ukraine?" he replied, "If advanced technology gets into North Korea, it would cause serious security issues, so the South Korean government should review all possible options and keep them available."
However, he noted that there is not yet a consensus within the ruling party on supporting Ukraine with weapons. Lawmaker Seong said, "This is still a personal opinion," but added, "I believe that when the National Assembly's Defense Committee convenes, many lawmakers, not just me, will express similar views."
Lawmaker Ha Tae-kyung recently commented on North Korea and Russia's promise to strengthen military cooperation, saying, "Given this situation, we must clearly show that Russia will pay a price, and we must not appear weak in international politics." He argued, "South Korea should now provide weapons support for the Ukraine war." The purpose is to deter Russia from transferring nuclear missile technology and other advanced technologies to North Korea by supporting Ukraine with weapons.
On YTN Radio that day, Lawmaker Ha said, "This is the only way to prevent Russia from providing more support to North Korea," adding, "Initially, it could be non-lethal weapons like interceptor missiles, but if necessary, it could escalate to lethal weapons to show that we can block Russia's weapon support to North Korea."
He continued, "Russia has already become an enemy of South Korea. Therefore, the presidential office should take a clear stance on retaliatory measures against Russia."
Lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun also said that a warning should be sent that lethal weapons could be supplied to Ukraine.
On Facebook that day, Lawmaker Yoon stated, "Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, must not be allowed to violate and undermine UN Security Council resolutions banning all arms transactions with North Korea." He added, "If Russia provides advanced technology to North Korea, we should warn that we could supply lethal weapons to Ukraine and closely cooperate with the international community to block arms transactions between North Korea and Russia."
On the 30th of last month, a K1A2 tank from the Capital Mechanized Infantry Division fired a shell during a maneuver and fire support training exercise held at the Jipori training ground in Cheorwon-gun, Gangwon-do. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The opposition party immediately criticized the remarks. Yoon Gun-young, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, called Lawmaker Seong's claim "an extremely dangerous idea," saying, "It is the same as declaring South Korea's participation in the war." On MBC Radio that day, Yoon said, "It means our country is going to participate in an international war. How can anyone think like that?" He added, "I could say harsher things, but suddenly I remembered this is a public broadcast, so I will stop."
He further analyzed, "If you look at the cause, the close ties between North Korea and Russia are partly the responsibility of the Yoon Seok-youl administration." He explained, "The Yoon administration has emphasized the US-Japan-South Korea alliance, conducted military exercises, and even pushed for a de facto US-Japan-South Korea military alliance, leaving North Korea with only China and Russia to rely on."
Yoon said, "If we supply weapons to Ukraine, it means we consider Russia an enemy country." He criticized, "They speak as if concerns about companies and Korean residents are insignificant, but many of our companies operate in Russia." He added, "Since the Roh Tae-woo administration, we have maintained friendly relations with Russia, but 40 years of effort is at risk of being wasted due to the Yoon administration's biased diplomacy."
Earlier, on April 19, President Yoon Seok-youl hinted at the possibility of supplying lethal weapons to Ukraine in a foreign media interview, which drew criticism. At the time, President Yoon said, "If there are large-scale attacks on civilians, mass atrocities that the international community cannot tolerate, or serious violations of the laws of war, it may be difficult to stick only to humanitarian or financial support."
Following the controversy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated at a regular briefing on April 20, "Our government's position on Ukraine remains unchanged. We actively participate in the international community's efforts to protect Ukraine's freedom and restore peace, including humanitarian support." They added, "Since the remarks were hypothetical, we will not comment further."
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