South Korea considering transferring lethal weapons to Ukraine in response to North Korea's joining war – media
The authorities of the Republic of Korea are considering the possibility of providing Ukraine with lethal weapons in connection with the dispatch of DPRK troops to Ukraine to participate in the war on the Russian side, reports the South Korean news agency News1.kr.
"The President's Office announced that it would consider all scenarios that would develop in connection with the issue of sending North Korean special forces to Russia and would prepare countermeasures. In particular, a decision was made to move away from the official policy of supporting non-lethal weapons and leave open the possibility of supplying lethal weapons to Ukraine if the situation worsens in the future," the message says.
To maintain strategic ambiguity, the presidential office will not release specific countermeasures, but a senior official indicated that South Korea may "consider supporting defensive weapons by considering scenarios step by step, and if the restrictions seem excessive, we may consider supporting offensive weapons at the very end."
This is interpreted as leaving open the possibility that if the level of military cooperation between North Korea and Russia exceeds what Seoul believes should be the case, South Korea could provide Ukraine with lethal weapons.
It is noted that an emergency meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Security Council was also convened on Monday morning to discuss measures to respond to the dispatch of North Korean troops to Russia and its involvement in the war in Ukraine, said Kim Tae-hyo, First Deputy Director of the National Security Agency.
"The government demands the immediate withdrawal of North Korean troops and has decided not to sit idly by if the current military collusion between North Korea and Russia continues, but to respond decisively together. In preparation for the possibility that military cooperation between North Korea and Russia may develop into a situation that poses a serious security threat, we plan to comprehensively consider possible scenarios and prepare appropriate measures," he stressed.
