Rescuers work at Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv on July 8 after deadly Russian missile strikes. Ukraine’s ambassador in Seoul says the attack shows why his country needs South Korean air defense technology. © Reuters
SEOUL — Days after a Russian missile attack decimated a children’s hospital in Ukraine, Kyiv’s ambassador is imploring South Korea to provide his country with air defense systems to shore up its war effort.
“Amid relentless Russian attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure facilities, we need to protect ourselves from missiles and drones,” Ukrainian Ambassador to South Korea Dmytro Ponomarenko told Nikkei Asia.
His remarks were the latest in an ongoing effort by Ukrainian authorities since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 to persuade South Korea to use its advanced weapons manufacturing capacity to provide sorely needed munitions and other forms of defense equipment. South Korea has demurred, citing domestic laws that prohibit weapons manufacturers from exporting to active war zones.
“If [South] Korea’s authorities are not ready to provide offensive weaponry for the time being, we would be grateful to receive air defense systems,” Ponomarenko said in a written response to questions.
Ukrainian Ambassador to South Korea Dmytro Ponomarenko says Kyiv must “achieve technical superiority in high-tech weapons.” (EPA/Jiji)
South Korea is mulling whether to provide Ukraine with air defense systems, Yonhap news agency reported last month, citing unnamed government officials. Earlier this year, South Korea’s Defense Ministry announced a $3.2 billion deal to export 10 units of the Cheongung-II missile interception system manufactured by LIG Nex1. Hanwha Systems also produces air defense systems.
Ponomarenko described Monday’s attack on Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv as “the latest act of Russian barbarity and terror.”
The envoy added: “Russia has proven time and again its blatant disregard for any rules underpinning the international order. From our experience, there is no crime [the] Moscow regime is unwilling to commit if it serves its interests.”
The World Health Organization in April identified what it calls a “horrifying pattern” of Russia’s military appearing to target medical workers. The WHO documented 1,682 attacks on such facilities in Ukraine, causing “128 deaths and 288 injuries of medical personnel and patients.”
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s government has condemned Russia’s invasion and provided humanitarian aid for Ukraine, which includes military supplies such as helmets and body armor, and pledged to provide 520 billion won ($377 million) in financial assistance this year.
Ponomarenko expressed gratitude for South Korea’s support but called on it to take the bolder step of providing items needed on the battlefield. “We are still in great need for weapons to protect our peaceful cities and push back the aggressor,” he said.
Given that Russia has a much larger military than Ukraine, Ponomarenko stressed that his country must “achieve technical superiority in high-tech weapons.”
“And that is exactly the kind of assistance from our partners that would be most welcome,” he said.
“I hope the [South] Korean government will eventually find a way to give us that much-needed aid,” he added. “After all, our fight has great repercussions for the security of the Asia-Pacific region, too — particularly in view of the new coalition of rogue states being formed between Russia and North Korea.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea last month for a summit with Kim Jong Un at which the two leaders signed an agreement to elevate bilateral ties to a formal alliance. The agreement included a provision positing that the countries agree to provide each other with military support in the event that one of them is brought into “a state of war.”
The visit was Putin’s first to the North since 2000 and marked the latest sign of growing cooperation between the authoritarian states. South Korean and U.S. defense authorities have also concluded that North Korea is supplying Russia with munitions for use in Ukraine.
Following Putin’s visit, South Korea expressed alarm over the growing Moscow-Pyongyang cooperation and said Seoul would reconsider the option of providing Ukraine with lethal aid.
Yoon is in Washington this week attending the NATO summit. Jens Stoltenberg, NATO’s secretary-general, said Wednesday that he expects the announcement of a “substantial package” of aid for Ukraine to be announced at the gathering, which marks the defense alliance’s 75th anniversary.
Also Wednesday, NATO leaders announced a “NATO Industrial Capacity Expansion Pledge” under which they plan to “accelerate defense industrial capacity and production across the alliance.” NATO mentioned the defense of Ukraine as a goal of the strategy.
Ponomarenko said his side is communicating with South Korea in a bid to reach an agreement on the provision of weaponry. “We are constantly searching for non-standard solutions and ideas that could help us to find ways of cooperation acceptable for both parties.” But he declined to specify them, “since such information could affect the positive outcome.”
Source: NikkeiAsia