In 2022, the South Korean government approved export licenses for Poland for the supply of Krab howitzers to Ukraine. These howitzers are built using South Korean parts.
This was told to Reuters by a representative of the defense department in Seoul. These comments are the first confirmation that South Korea has officially agreed to, at least implicitly, provide Ukraine with weapons components for the war with Russia.
Seoul indirectly helps Ukraine with weapons for the first time
Seoul officials have previously declined to comment on the Crab situation. The Bureau of Technology Control of the Defense Procurement Administration (DAPA) reviewed and approved the transfer, said Kim Hyung-cheol, director of Europe and Asia at the Bureau of International Cooperation.
We reviewed all the documentation and possible issues within DAPA … and then decided to issue an export license to Poland,” he said.
Produced by the Polish company Huta Stalowa Wola, the Krab is a self-propelled howitzer created by combining the South Korean K9 Thunder chassis, the British BAE Systems turret, the French Nexter Systems 155mm cannon and the Polish fire control system.
After the Russian invasion in February 2022, Poland shipped 18 crabs to Ukraine in May, and the two countries signed orders for dozens more. Vladimir Putin accused Seoul of providing weapons to Ukraine, saying such a decision would destroy their bilateral relationship.
In response, South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol said that South Korea, an ally of the United States, did not provide any weapons to Ukraine. His administration says it has no intention of changing that policy.
He also said that South Korean law makes it difficult to directly sell weapons to countries in active conflict.
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During a visit to Seoul in January, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged South Korea to increase its military support for Ukraine, citing other countries that changed their policy of not providing weapons to countries in conflict following Russia's invasion.
The head of DAPA has the power to decide what to export, but in practice it also depends on the will of the president, said Yang Wook, a research fellow and defense expert at Seoul's Asan Institute for Policy Studies.
The government must take into account all positions, including the position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, diplomacy, as well as economic considerations. If Korea supports Ukraine, Russia may in return sell modern aircraft to North Korea or transfer technology that the DPRK really needs, he said.
South Korea last year signed a massive $5.8 billion deal with Poland to supply hundreds of K239 Chunmoo missile launchers, K2 tanks, K9 self-propelled howitzers and FA-50 fighter jets.
But Poland will demand further permission from South Korea to provide Ukraine with any of these new types of weapons. Previously, DAPA representatives emphasized that the sales are intended to strengthen the defense of Poland, and not to help Ukraine.
South Korea's sensitivity to the issue was highlighted by an agreement to sell 155mm artillery shells to the US. Officials in Washington have said they want to ship the munitions to Ukraine, but South Korea insists the end user should be the United States.
A spokesman for the South Korean Defense Ministry said negotiations on the agreement are ongoing.
