Islamuddin Sajid
07 March 2022•Update: 08 March 2022
ANKARA
South Korea has indicated it will not fully join its allies in providing lethal weapons to Ukraine, local media reported on Monday.
The Defense Ministry said it sees “limits” in responding to Ukraine’s call for weapons, but stressed that Seoul “is weighing other possible options” to support Kyiv, according to a report by Yonhap News Agency.
“What I’d like to make clear is that there are limits in providing lethal weapons,” ministry spokesman Boo Seung-chan said at a news briefing.
He said Kyiv has “sent a document to South Korea and other countries” listing its military and humanitarian requirements.
Refusing to divulge more details, he said the “matter is being discussed diplomatically.”
South Korea is focusing “on providing largely humanitarian support, such as blankets and field rations” to Ukraine, the report quoted another unnamed Defense Ministry official as saying.
Kyiv has apparently asked for rifles, anti-tank missiles, helmets, bulletproof vests and satellite information, according to the report.
Seoul was quick to join the US and other allies in taking measures against Russia, having already banned the export of strategic materials to Moscow and backing efforts to exclude Russia from the SWIFT global payment system.
Seoul announced on Monday it plans to suspend transactions with Russia’s central bank, sovereign wealth funds and another Russian lender, according to a separate Yonhap report.
It said the government will halt “transactions with the Central Bank of the Russian Federation and two sovereign funds – the National Wealth Fund of the Russian Federation and the Russian Direct Investment Fund – starting Tuesday.”
Transactions with Rossiya Bank, one of seven Russian banks to be removed from the SWIFT system under EU sanctions, will also be suspended.
Russia’s envoy to South Korea has previously warned that such actions could impact bilateral relations, as well as trilateral cooperation among Moscow, Seoul and North Korea for resolving issues on the Korean Peninsula.
Russia’s war on Ukraine has drawn international condemnation, sparked financial sanctions and spurred an exodus of global companies, ranging from technology to automotive and energy.
At least 364 civilians have been killed and 759 others injured in Ukraine since Moscow launched the war on Feb. 24, according to UN figures, with the real toll feared to be higher.
More than 1.5 million people have also fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, according to the UN refugee agency.
