Government Considering Lethal Weapon Support to Ukraine... "Mobilizing All Available Means for Response"

The government has stated that it will respond by mobilizing all available means in cooperation with the international community regarding North Korea's decision to dispatch troops to the Ukraine war, drawing attention to whether lethal weapons support to Ukraine, which had been restrained until now, will be provided.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

With North Korea deciding to send a large-scale ground force to support Russia, it is anticipated that the government will consider providing lethal weapons such as artillery shells to Ukraine, similar to the approach taken by the United States and other Western countries. However, there is expected to be considerable caution within the government due to the risk of severing relations with Russia if lethal weapons are supplied to Ukraine.

According to the Presidential Office, President Yoon Suk-yeol chaired an "Emergency Security Meeting on North Korean Troops' Dispatch to Russia" on the 18th, attended by key officials from the National Security Office, Ministry of National Defense, and National Intelligence Service.

The attendees shared the recognition that the current situation, where North Korea-Russia military closeness has gone beyond the movement of military supplies to actual troop deployment, poses a serious security threat not only to South Korea but also to the international community. They agreed not to overlook this situation and to respond by mobilizing all available means jointly with the international community, the Presidential Office reported.

Earlier, the National Intelligence Service announced on the same day that "North Korea began moving special forces troops for dispatch to Russia starting from the 8th" and "confirmed the participation of North Korean special forces."

According to government sources, North Korea is expected to dispatch approximately 12,000 troops belonging to four brigades under the elite Storm Corps (11th Corps) of the Special Operations Force. About 1,500 special forces personnel have already been transported to Vladivostok, Russia, and a second transport operation is planned soon.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the government has supported Ukraine with non-lethal military supplies such as gas masks and medicines, while North Korea has provided Russia with large quantities of lethal weapons including artillery shells and missiles.

There have been suspicions that 155mm artillery shells exported by South Korean companies to the United States were supplied to Ukraine, but this has not been officially confirmed.

When the contents of the "Strategic Partnership Treaty," a de facto military alliance between North Korea and Russia signed on June 19, were disclosed, Jang Ho-jin, then head of the National Security Office, announced that the issue of lethal weapons support to Ukraine could be reconsidered. However, no decision to provide lethal weapons has been made since, as the South Korea-Russia relationship cannot be ignored.

Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, pressured on June 26 that if South Korea provides lethal weapons to Ukraine, it would have fatal consequences for South Korea-Russia relations.

However, in light of the large-scale deployment of North Korean troops, there is a possibility that the government will reconsider providing lethal weapons to Ukraine.

A government source said, "I think the government could consider such an issue (lethal weapons support), but it is difficult to say definitively that it will go that far."

Another government source said, "The government cannot ignore relations with Russia," adding, "The opposition party may also argue that parliamentary approval is required to provide lethal weapons to conflict zones."

The government is concerned that if Russia, a military power, provides North Korea with advanced military technologies such as nuclear weapons, intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), and satellites, it could pose a significant threat to South Korea's security.

Rather than immediately deciding to provide lethal weapons, the government may strongly condemn North Korea's troop dispatch decision in coordination with the United States, Japan, and others, and consider independent and joint sanctions measures.

A government official predicted that since Russia is a permanent member of the UN Security Council with veto power, it is more likely that statements will be issued among like-minded countries rather than at the UN Security Council level.