US reveals S.Korea’s conflict over arming Ukraine
A critical discussion between senior South Korean officials over whether to export weapons that may be used in Ukraine is revealed in a leaked Pentagon document seen by the BBC.
They must choose between following US demands to arm Ukraine and sticking to their stance of avoiding arming belligerent nations.
To avoid looking as though they had caved in to the US, one of the advisors advises sending the shells to Poland instead.
The Pentagon claims that the leaks pose a major risk to national security, prompting a hasty search for the leaks’ origin in Washington.
President Yoon’s foreign affairs secretary Yi Mun-hui allegedly informed Kim Sung-han, who was the national security adviser at the time, that the administration was “mired in concerns that the US would not be the end user” of the munitions during their talk on March 1.
They were also concerned that President Biden may speak with President Yoon personally about the matter, and that if South Korea changed its position on supplying Ukraine with weapons, it might appear as though the US had exerted pressure.
The national security adviser for South Korea, Mr. Kim, reportedly proposed they sell shells to Poland instead since “getting the ammunition to Ukraine quickly was the ultimate goal of the United States,” according to the paper.
While insisting that it is impossible to listen in on private talks taking place within the South Korean president’s office and that this discussion could not have taken place in the country’s secure subterranean bunker, the South claims to be looking into the leak.
The US has been open about its desire for Seoul to arm Ukraine. It thinks South Korea, with its capacity to produce cutting-edge weaponry at a fast pace, might significantly influence how the battle turns out.
However, Seoul has always resisted doing so, citing its rule against providing weaponry to nations at conflict while secretly fretting about strained relations with Russia.
The information revealed by this leak reveals that South Korea was both aware of and receptive to the possibility that one of its rounds would land in Ukraine. Its ties with Moscow may be harmed by this.
Jenny Town, a Korea expert with the think tank 38 North, described South Korea’s constant delicate balancing act with the US on one side and Russia and China on the other. They are most worried about the optics, as this leak demonstrates. They are attempting to strike a balance between what they are prepared to do to help Ukraine and how it will be seen.
