After russia and north Korea significantly strengthened their defense cooperation, especially with the decision to deploy north Korean military personnel to the russian forces, one logical response to such actions could have been South Korea supplying weapons to Ukraine. At the very least, granting permission for the purchase of weapons and military equipment. However, South Korea, at least publicly and officially, has allegedly refused to sell weapons to Ukraine.
Ahead of a Ukrainian delegation’s visit to South Korea, russian outlets such as TASS amplified claims by Alexander Stepanov, a senior research fellow at the russian Academy of Sciences. Stepanov suggested that Ukraine’s focus would allegedly be on acquiring short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, including the newly revealed Hyunmoo-5, which purportedly boasts a range of 3,500 km.
Read more: SBS: South Korea Doesn't Want to Sell Weapons to Ukraine, What Kyiv Was Hoping to Acquire
These claims appear to serve a propagandistic purpose, aimed less at realistic military developments and more at accusing the United States of linking potential conflict zones in Eastern Europe and the Asia-Pacific.
As expected, the russians also reiterated their traditional narrative, stating that South Korea supplying weapons would be regarded as direct involvement in escalation.
However, even if South Korea were to approve arms sales to Ukraine, the inclusion of the Hyunmoo-5 missile in such deals is highly unlikely. This state-of-the-art missile, unveiled publicly just a month ago, remains far from the practical scope of current military aid discussions.
Read more: South Korea Once Created a Copy of russia’s P-800 Oniks Missile: What We Know Now
