Zelensky Requests Air Defense Support, but Government Reaffirms "Provision of Defense Materials Follows Domestic Laws"

On North Korea's Possible Additional Troop Deployments: "Closely Monitoring Developments"

As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky raised the possibility of additional troop deployments by North Korea and requested South Korea’s support for air defense systems, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "Providing defense industry materials has been carried out in accordance with relevant domestic laws and policies." This is interpreted as a reaffirmation of the government’s existing stance not to provide lethal weapons to Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, is delivering a speech to people in Vilnius, Lithuania, on January 10, 2024 (local time). Photo by Yonhap News

On August 10, an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to President Zelensky’s request for air defense system support, saying, "We cannot confirm details of communication that took place through diplomatic channels."

The official continued, "We have thus far provided support to Ukraine in various fields such as energy, infrastructure, healthcare, and education," adding, "We plan to continue to review measures for the restoration of peace and reconstruction in Ukraine."

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the government has maintained its position of not providing lethal weapons to Ukraine, despite requests for arms support.

In an interview released through his X account (formerly Twitter) on August 8 (local time), President Zelensky said, "We earnestly hope for support from South Korea in the field of air defense systems, in which we are lacking," and added that Ukraine is also prepared to cooperate in other areas such as drones. He also stated that Ukrainian diplomatic officials are in contact with their South Korean counterparts.

President Zelensky also claimed that a decision has been made to deploy 30,000 to 50,000 North Korean troops to Russian territory. Having previously claimed on July 25 that Russia requested the dispatch of an additional 30,000 troops from North Korea, he has now suggested a specific scale of up to 50,000 troops.

Regarding this, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said, "We are closely monitoring related developments," but added, "We cannot confirm matters related to intelligence." He went on to say, "Military cooperation between North Korea and Russia is a matter directly tied to our national security and constitutes a violation of UN Security Council resolutions," emphasizing, "The government’s position is that military cooperation between North Korea and Russia must cease immediately."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.