hankyoreh

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sits in the passenger seat as Russian President Vladimir Putin drives around the gardens at the Kumsusan State Guesthouse in Pyongyang, where the two “develop[ed] rapport” after signing their comprehensive strategic partnership pact on June 19, 2024. (KCNA/Yonhap)

In response to North Korea and Russia inking a pact to become “comprehensive strategic partners” and vowing to strengthen military cooperation, South Korea has gone on the offensive and announced that it will consider providing lethal weapons to Ukraine.
 
With South Korea signaling its intention to rethink its policy of not supplying Ukraine with lethal weapons as it fights off Russia, the country risks its relationship with Russia falling into dire straits.

After convening a National Security Council meeting chaired by national security adviser Chang Ho-jin, the South Korean government released a statement to condemn and express “serious concern” over the outcomes of the North Korea-Russia summit.
 
“It’s absurd sophistry that two countries that have a history of waging wars of aggression, as seen in the Korean War and the ongoing war in Ukraine, are basing the rationale of their military cooperation on a preemptive strike by the international community that will never happen,” said Chang. 
 
Seoul made it clear that the treaty would also affect its own relationship with Russia.

“We firmly emphasize that any cooperation that directly or indirectly helps North Korea build up its military capabilities is a violation of UN Security Council resolutions and is subject to international surveillance and sanctions,” the government said in a statement.
 
“Despite being a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Russia has violated the resolution it sponsored concerning North Korean sanctions by supporting North Korea. As this harms the security of South Korea, it will inevitably have negative ramifications for South Korea-Russia relations,” the statement went on.
 
It was in this context that Chang said that South Korea would “review our policy of not providing lethal arms to Ukraine.” Currently, South Korea maintains a policy of not providing lethal weapons to countries at war and has only provided non-lethal military supplies, such as gas masks, to Ukraine.
 
If the government were to break with this policy and provide lethal weapons to Ukraine, it would trigger international controversy and push Seoul-Moscow relations to the brink. As such, some believe that the government’s announcement is intended to exert pressure on Russia by hitting Moscow where it hurts — weapons provisions to Ukraine — rather than to express its intent to immediately start shipping weapons to Kyiv. 
 
“There are many options when it comes to weapons assistance,” a senior presidential office official told the Hankyoreh. “It’d be more interesting for Russia to find out how and what we’ll do gradually. Taking it slow will put more pressure on them.”
 
South Korea also vowed to strengthen its military readiness posture against North Korea, saying it would “further strengthen the extended deterrence of the South Korea-US alliance and the South Korea-US-Japan security cooperation system to neutralize North Korea’s nuclear and missile capabilities.”
 
The government additionally designated four ships, five organizations, and eight individuals from Russia, North Korea, and other countries involved in arms shipments and oil transshipment between Russia and North Korea as targets of independent sanctions.
 
However, the government was cautious in its assessment of the threat level posed by the developments between Russia and North Korea, noting that Article 4 of the treaty contains a “buffer” provision in the section on mutual military assistance between North Korea and Russia, which stipulates that any assistance will be carried out “in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter and the laws of the DPRK and the Russian Federation.”

By Lee Seung-jun, staff reporter; Jang Na-rye, staff reporter

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