"Yoon, Considering Support After North Korea-Russia Alliance"
"Not a Normal Decision... Concerns Over Weakened Defense Capability"
Former four-star Army General Kim Byung-joo of the Democratic Party of Korea and Kim Jun-hyung, a member of the National Innovation Party and former president of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, claimed that the Yoon Seok-yeol administration is pushing to support lethal weapons to Ukraine and urged an immediate halt to this.
On the morning of July 3rd, the National Assembly National Defense Committee plenary meeting, which was scheduled to be held, was canceled, and Kim Byung-joo, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is heading to the National Assembly National Defense Committee Chairman's office. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
On the afternoon of the 30th, the two lawmakers held a press conference at the National Assembly titled "Condemnation of the Push to Support Lethal Weapons to Ukraine," stating, "The Yoon administration is considering supporting lethal weapons to Ukraine," and "It has also been confirmed that military officials, including the Army Ammunition Policy Officer from the Ministry of National Defense, have already traveled on official business to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) headquarters." They added, "Since 2023, the Republic of Korea has only provided non-lethal supplies to Ukraine," but "since the military alliance between North Korea and Russia was established in June, the Yoon administration has been covertly considering support for lethal weapons to Ukraine."
At the conference, they said, "At a time when the whole world is exhausted by war and calling for an end to hostilities, supporting lethal weapons is not a normal decision," and "Considering the current ammunition stock situation of our military, pushing for lethal weapon support is an excessive aid that weakens national defense." They further pointed out, "At this point, providing ammunition-type support to Ukraine clearly violates Article 14 of the Defense Supplies Management Act and simultaneously weakens our military's readiness posture." The Defense Supplies Management Act cites conditions such as "in cases of 'free or paid loan' contracts for the manufacture, repair, or other construction of defense supplies" and "when it is recognized that there is no special hindrance to the operation or mission of the defense agency or each military branch."
The two lawmakers also urged the Ministry of National Defense to disclose the purpose and results of the officials’ business trips to NATO headquarters. They said, "Last week, Ministry of National Defense employees who had already traveled to NATO headquarters together with the National Intelligence Service should clearly reveal the official purpose and outcomes of their business trips," and "especially, explain why the Army Ammunition Policy Officer was included on the travel list."
At a previous meeting, Representative Kim Byung-joo also warned, "Sending even one person overseas counts as dispatching troops." During the morning Democratic Party Supreme Council meeting that day, he said, "The government is trying to circumvent consent by sending observers under the name of an observation team," and "If an observation team is dispatched to the Ukrainian battlefield, we will consider various legal measures, including impeachment of the Minister of National Defense."
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