Dmytro Ponomarenko also drew attention to the legislative restrictions in the Republic of Korea.
The majority of South Korean citizens support Ukraine, but far fewer Koreans are in favor of providing lethal weapons, because they are afraid of escalation in relations with the DPRK and the Russian Federation and the corresponding security threats to their countries.
This was stated by the Ukrainian Ambassador to South Korea Dmitry Ponomarenko in an interview with “Glavkom”.
“The overwhelming majority of Korean society supported and supports Ukraine in our fight against Russian aggression. At the same time, a much smaller number of South Koreans are in favor of providing Ukraine with lethal weapons, fearing an escalation in relations with the DPRK and the Russian Federation and the corresponding security threats to their country. This is quite understandable, because the presence of an unpredictable dictator with nuclear weapons nearby, and even in a strategic alliance with an internationally recognized aggressor, is something that, naturally, causes at least concern,” said Dmitry Ponomarenko.
What can change the situation in South Korea
At the same time, according to the ambassador, the opinion on providing lethal weapons to Ukraine is changing rapidly in South Korea. The impetus was the sending of North Korean units to Russia to participate in the war with Ukraine.
“Now South Korea is turning from an outside observer into an interested or even potentially vulnerable party. The combat experience in real war conditions gained by the North Korean military will pose a serious threat to South Korea itself. I think the attitude of society, and accordingly the political elite, and the country's leadership itself, will change quickly, but it is too early to make confident predictions,” he said.
The ambassador also drew attention to the legislative restrictions in the Republic of Korea. There is a legislative norm in effect, according to which official Seoul cannot supply weapons to countries in a state of war.
“Considering this, in our work with official Seoul we propose a step-by-step approach to this issue. For example, first concentrate on obtaining defense systems of the type and class: air defense systems, radars, electronic warfare systems, etc. I believe that the protection of our civilian population, which suffers daily from Russian drone and missile strikes, is not about the supply of weapons as such, it is about fair and urgently needed humanitarian aid to ensure a safe life for people in Ukraine,” he explained.
Recall that The DPRK fired several short-range ballistic missiles towards the East Sea before the elections USA.
Meanwhile, voting for the next president continues in the United States. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are vying for the position.
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