WSJ: South Korea has sent Ukraine hundreds of thousands of shells
Photo: From open sources
South Korea sent hundreds of thousands of artillery shells to Ukraine through the United States after Seoul long resisted supplying weapons.
Rubryka reports, citing the report by the Wall Street Journal, that this move, according to US officials, will make Ukraine's planned counteroffensive against Russian forces effective.
The WSJ, citing unnamed sources, said Seoul had reached a "confidential arrangement" with Washington to transfer the missiles to the United States for delivery to Ukraine after Washington asked its Asian ally for artillery support last year.
The WSJ report said Seoul officials had "chilled" after media reports of the discussions late last year. However, the "breakthrough" came after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol visited Washington last month for a meeting with President Joe Biden.
Responding to questions about the possibility of supplying ammunition to Ukraine, South Korea's National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong told parliament that officials would decide after monitoring developments.
Cho said he didn't plan to send the projectiles directly or through Poland but did not elaborate on cooperation with the United States.
Jeong Ha-kyu, a spokesman for South Korea's defense ministry, said Thursday that they had been in talks with the Pentagon about exporting the munitions but that the WSJ report contained "inaccurate parts," declining to provide details.
"There were various discussions and requests, and our government will take appropriate measures while comprehensively reviewing tUkraine'smilitary and humanitarian situation," Chong said at the briefing.
A US ally and significant producer of artillery munitions, South Korea has so far ruled out sending lethal aid to Ukraine, despite growing pressure from Washington and Europe to supply arms.
But South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said in April that his government may not "insist only on humanitarian or financial support" if civilians in Ukraine face a large-scale attack or because of "a situation that the international community cannot accept."
This week, at a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Seoul, President Yoon Suk Yeol said South Korea would "thoroughly study" the list of weapons President Volodymyr Zelensky requested. The contents of this list were not announced.
