South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was in Ukraine on Saturday for an unannounced visit, the presidential office said. Yoon Suk Yeol visited the city of Bucha and will meet with Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky.
“The president first visited the site of the massacre in the town of Bucha, near Kiev, and then the town of Irpin, where the rocket attacks were concentrated in residential areas,” the South Korean presidential office said in a statement. “President Yoon will visit the War Dead Memorial to lay a wreath and will meet with Volodymyr Zelensky.”
South Korea, the world’s ninth-largest arms exporter, has sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine and has also sold tanks to Poland, a key Kiev ally in the fight against Russian forces.
However, the country has long had a policy of not supplying arms to active conflict zones, which it has maintained despite repeated requests from the United States, European allies and Ukraine for more aid.
The South Korean president’s meeting with Zelensky, who has already encouraged Seoul to consider supplying weapons directly to Kiev, is expected to focus on providing South Korean aid to the country.
South Korea, which technically remains at war with North Korea, produces significant quantities of NATO-compatible weapons, including highly sought-after tanks and ammunition.
Seoul hinted earlier this year that it might reconsider its no-gun policy when Yoon Suk Yeol said a large-scale Russian attack on civilians could change the country’s status.
South Korea, however, rejected claims in a US media report in May that its missiles were on their way to Ukraine, saying its stance on not supplying Kiev with weapons remains unchanged.
Experts warn that South Korea is in a difficult position due to economic ties with Russia, its 15th largest trading partner in 2022, as well as Moscow’s influence over North Korea.
Source: DN
