Ukrainian delegation in SKorea to discuss arms

SEOUL, November 28 ------ A Ukrainian delegation led by its defense chief was due in South Korea to meet President Yoon Suk Yeol and discuss Seoul's potential arms support for Kyiv, media reports said. The reported trip comes as South Korea signaled it could reverse a longstanding policy of not providing weapons to countries in conflict following revelations that North Korea had deployed thousands of troops to aid Russia's war effort against Ukraine. The Ukrainian delegation, headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, is expected to "share intelligence on North Korea's troop deployment to Russia" and seek Seoul's support for Kyiv's war efforts, the Yonhap News Agency reported, citing unnamed sources. 

Earlier this month, Yoon said whether or how South Korea would decide to help Ukraine directly depended on "the level of North Korean involvement," adding that Seoul was "not ruling out the possibility of providing weapons." If South Korea were to supply arms, the initial batch would be defensive in nature, he said. 

Ukraine is reliant on Western air defense systems, particularly Patriots, to protect itself from Russian missile barrages, and has been calling for more deliveries. South Korea, which remains technically at war with nuclear-armed North Korea and has maintained production of weaponry long overlooked by Western arms industries, could make a significant impact if it decides to supply weapons, experts say. 

Source: manilatimes.net