During the international "Valdai Club" conference held on October 27 of last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned of the possibility of severing Russian relations with South Korea because of its supply of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine.
In a report published by the "Russian Council of International Affairs" website, analyst Vitaly Sovin said that South Korean President Yoon Seok-yul expressed solidarity with the international community regarding providing "peaceful and humanitarian" support to Ukraine.
In response to the Russian side's statement, the South Korean president stressed, "We have not supplied Ukraine with any lethal weapons, and in any case this issue is related to our sovereignty."
dangerous game
The report stated that after the launch of the Russian "military operation" inside Ukrainian territory, Seoul - under pressure from Washington - imposed a package of sanctions against Moscow, which led to its classification in the list of countries not friendly to Russia.
He added that last July, news circulated that Canada and Poland had concluded contracts to supply large quantities of South Korean weapons and ammunition.
This unprecedented scale and volume of South Korean military products provided to the aforementioned countries reflects its intention to replenish the Ukrainian armoury in the near future.
The report emphasized that although the total value of the deal was not specified, it is considered the largest arms export deal held by South Korea in its history, with a value of about $15 billion, according to expert estimates.
Indirect support
The report mentioned the signing of a contract by the Weapons Agency of the Polish Ministry of Defense and Samsung Tech on November 4, 2022, a contract worth about $4 billion in exchange for the acquisition of "Chonmo" missile launch systems similar to the US "M142 Himars" missile launchers. Throughout the period between 2023 and 2027.
Experts attribute Poland's purchase of South Korean missile launchers to its failure to obtain the required quantity from the United States.
According to the site, the volume of South Korean military products purchased by Canada and Poland enhances the possibility that a certain part of them will be sent to Ukraine.
The writer believes that the fear of NATO member states of getting involved in a direct confrontation with Russia because of providing Kyiv with certain types of Western weapons explains its attempt to drag Seoul into the conflict in Ukraine, as it is not a member of NATO and represents a backup option.
It is clear that the agreement on this issue was signed during the NATO summit hosted by Madrid in June of last year, in which the South Korean president participated.
The writer points out the possibility of Sol providing Kyiv with weapons indirectly through other parties, by selling weapons to countries that send their weapons to Ukraine.
Possible responses
The report shows that South Korea excludes Russia's retaliation against it just because of the appearance of combat aircraft, tanks or ammunition produced by South Korea among the Ukrainian armed forces.
He pointed out that at the same time, the South Korean leadership should realize the fact that Russia has all the means to provide tangible assistance to North Korea, which needs modern aircraft and armored vehicles and is considered the military and political rival of South Korea.
The report stated that Russia can provide North Korea with trucks in the form of timber carriers for humanitarian purposes, for the North Koreans to convert - without informing the Russian side - into a structure for ballistic missile launchers, including intercontinental ones.
What complicates the situation - the report shows - is that Seoul has not fulfilled its promises regarding ensuring that the situation in Ukraine does not negatively affect resolving the problem of denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, and because of the pressure exerted on it by Washington, Seoul has joined the unprecedented sanctions imposed by the West. on Russia.