South Korea will review its position on armed support to Ukraine which so far prohibited any transfer of lethal equipment. This decision was announced by Seoul against the background of the Strategic Comprehensive Partnership Agreement signed between the russian federation and North Korea yesterday, June 19, in Pyongyang.
For a reminder, the provisions include that russia promises to help the DPRK with weapons, in particular with technologies, and join forces in case anyone attacks North Korean territories. And that is why Seoul's intention to revise its policy regarding the supply of arms to Ukraine is nothing short of logical and pragmatic, Korean news agency YNA reports.
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In addition, the South Korean government promised to expand the list of sanctioned goods banned from trade with russia and a few more additional measures straining the relations with its hostile western neighbor.
On the part of Defense Express, we should note that the part where Seoul can lift the ban on exporting its weapons to Ukraine would significant broaden Kyiv's and its allies' opportunities to obtain a wide range of modern weapons through various forms of cooperation, including direct bilateral purchase.
Especially important here is the unique ability of the Korean defense industry to make quick deliveries, another upside is the adequate price for weapons. The equipment Koreans can offer covers a wide spectrum of capabilities, from artillery shells, which were previously acquired for Ukraine through third parties and sophisticated algorithms, (i.e. Korean ammunition went to the USA, and the American rounds went to Ukraine), to artillery, air defense systems, long-range attack missiles and aviation.
Moreover, South Korea has both vast stockpiles of ready-made weapons and still "hot" production lines that did not slowed down after the end of the Cold War due to the ever looming threat from the DPRK. That explains, for example, why Poland received the first K2 tanks and K9 self-propelled guns mere 102 days after placing the order.
Worth adding that Seoul is currently actively expanding into the European arms market, after Poland, it now aims for Romania next: promoting its tanks, self-propelled artillery and IFVs, and no less Norway and Sweden with an attractive offer on the K239 Chunmoo MLRS, a competitor of American HIMARS. Therefore, Korean manufacturers might as well be interested in acquiring the prestigious "Effectiveness proven in real combat" labels for their products.
Read more: The UK Defense Intelligence: russia Scrambles to Defend Crimea After Ukrainian Attacks
