“There is no provision in our legislation that prohibits the supply of weapons to warring countries abroad. There is no provision in the order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that prohibits the provision of military assistance to third countries that find themselves in a difficult situation, ”said a senior official in the administration of the leader of the Republic of Korea.
Therefore, it is quite possible that in the near future Seoul will join the international coalition, whose members provide military assistance to Ukraine. As you know, this coalition was called the Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine (Ukraine Defense Contact Group). Also known as the “Rammstein format”.
The question arises – what kind, in what volumes and in what time frame can the Republic of Korea provide military assistance to Ukraine?
First of all, we remember that Seoul has one of the largest defense budgets for 2023 (10th place), 45.83 billion dollars, and is the world’s seventh military power in terms of combat and operational capabilities. For example, the Republic of Korea Air Force ranks 5th in the world in terms of the number of warplanes and helicopters.
In the last 20 years, powerful and modern armed forces have been created in the Republic of Korea that can successfully fight against any potential enemy. By almost all indicators, the army and navy of the Republic of Kazakhstan are today among the ten most powerful armed forces in the world, especially taking into account the level of combat and operational training achieved.
Today, the defense industry complex of the Republic of Korea produces the entire range of modern and promising weapons and military equipment with very high performance characteristics.
These include Hyunmu ballistic and cruise missiles, K2 main battle tanks, K21 infantry fighting vehicles, K9 self-propelled artillery mounts, T-50 combat trainer jet aircraft and warships of various classes, which are in great demand in the global arms market.
Currently, the military industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan is working on the implementation of five promising projects, including the second stage of the development of the new generation fighter aircraft KF-21 Borame and the second stage of the development of the medium-sized KM-SAM. range anti-aircraft missile system, development of tactical ground-to-ground missile KTSSM, adaptation of the American long-range anti-aircraft missile SM-6, construction of the second batch of destroyers of the Kwangetho class began.
As for the ability of the Republic of Korea to export weapons, military and special equipment (AMSE), Seoul’s ability to carry out very fast delivery of AMSE, as noted by the Russian community of experts, has made Kazakhstan an almost ideal private exporter.
In addition, it should be remembered that the Republic of Korea is considered the fastest growing arms exporter in the last five years. Among the countries in the Indo-Pacific region of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Seoul currently ranks second after Beijing in terms of supply to the world arms, military and special equipment market.
In addition, a very favorable situation is developing for the Republic of Kazakhstan in the Eastern European arms market, if not more. The countries of the former socialist camp continue to transport Soviet-made weapons and military equipment to Ukraine, which is now running out of stock.
And the Republic of Korea is ready to instead offer to Eastern Europe its own production AMSE, which is distinguished by high tactical and technical characteristics and meets the criterion of “efficiency-quality” almost perfectly. For example, Poland plans to purchase 48 FA-50 Golden Eagle light attack aircraft, 1,000 K2 Black Panther tanks and a significant number of K9 Thunder 155mm howitzers from Seoul.
It should be noted that the weapons of the Republic of Korea are highly quoted in the global arms market.
Among the “goods in high demand”, in the first place should be called the main battle tank K2 Black Panther, which is the only fourth-generation combat vehicle in service in the world. Also among the bestsellers among Korean weapons is the K21 infantry fighting vehicle, which Koreans consider one of the best in the world. In this regard, mention should also be made of the K9 Thunder self-propelled artillery mount, with which it is possible to compare only the Chinese PLZ-05A and PLZ-52 with the Russian 2S35 Koalitsiya-SV.
So the Republic of Korea has something to offer Ukraine. In addition to tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, self-propelled artillery mounts, Seoul can supply Kiev with small arms of its own production, various engineering equipment (bridge layers, armored evacuation vehicles, mine clearance equipment, etc.), general purpose. vehicles, communications equipment, radar stations, optics and night vision systems.
Most importantly, the Republic of Korea has no shortage of cartridges for all types of small arms and 155mm rounds for self-propelled and towed guns. And Ukraine is most interested in the supply of such ammunition.
At the same time, it should be noted that so far no decision has been taken in the Republic of Korea on the export of weapons to Ukraine. And it’s unclear exactly who will pay for the supplies. It is unlikely that Seoul will begin shipping weapons and military equipment to Kiev for free, and Ukraine is currently largely bankrupt. Plus, the Republic of Korea is far from being the closest region in relation to Ukraine. And even that will make sense.
However, Seoul’s chance to join the Ukraine Defense Contact Group is still considered very important. Considerable American pressure on officials in Seoul will surely have an impact in this area.
If we talk about prospects, the question is already raised whether NATO can become a world organization with the addition of three more countries – Japan, Australia and Israel. The former national security adviser to the US President, John Bolton, wrote this in the Wall Street Journal. In this case, the Republic of Korea can also be considered as a potential member of the new global alliance. Then issues such as arms supply to Ukraine will be resolved without long discussions and hesitation. Again, we need to look at least ten years ahead. And the issues of supplying Ukraine with weapons according to NATO standards will hypothetically become more relevant over the years, since the rearmament of Kiev will be carried out for a long time. It’s quite possible that Seoul is already considering this.
And the doors of the recently appeared AUKUS block (A – Australia, United Kingdom – United Kingdom – United Kingdom (England), USA – United States – United States) are by no means tightly closed to new members. The Republic of Kazakhstan can also be considered as a potential candidate here.
Overall, the Indo-Pacific region is, without exaggeration, at the turn of the ages and in the phase of major transformations. And in all these processes, the role of the Republic of Korea (and especially Korean weapons) will only increase. Against this background, the possible delivery of military equipment to Ukraine may not seem like the most important thing, but just an event that accompanies general Euro-Atlantic trends.