Lethal aid to Ukraine depends on Russia's actions, South Korea warns

National Security Adviser Chang Ho-jin stressed Sunday that whether South Korea provides weapons to Ukraine depends on how Russia's military cooperation with North Korea unfolds.

Russian Ambassador to South Korea Georgy Zinoviev arrives at the Foreign Ministry building in central Seoul on Friday. Seoul summoned the Russian envoy to lodge a protest over a new treaty signed between Moscow and Pyongyang that calls for immediate military assistance if either side is attacked. [NEWS1]

National Security Adviser Chang Ho-jin stressed Sunday that whether South Korea provides weapons to Ukraine depends on how Russia's military cooperation with North Korea unfolds.

"I want to emphasize that it all up to the Russian side," Chang, director of South Korea's National Security Office, told KBS TV in an interview. "What line will remain for us if Russia gives high-precision weapons to North Korea?"

The remarks come after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty during their summit last Wednesday that included a mutual defense provision and military technology cooperation. In response, the South Korean government said Thursday that it will reconsider its hitherto refusal to provide Ukraine with lethal weapons.

When asked what kind of weapons South Korea is considering providing to Ukraine, Chang replied that there could be "several combinations," without specifying further because it could "weaken our leverage over Russia."

He noted it was still "premature to say anything will be given."

Chang reiterated in Sunday's interview that Seoul said it was "reexamining the issue of weapons aid to Ukraine" and that such aid would vary "depending on how Russia responds to our warning."

Chang's comments appear to suggest that if Russia provides advanced weapons systems to North Korea, South Korea could also opt to provide lethal weapons to Ukraine without restrictions.

Regarding the bilateral relationship between Seoul and Moscow, he said South Korea "can't manage it alone, and Russia must also make corresponding efforts."

He added that recent trends in Russia "show they are gradually getting closer to the red line."

On Thursday, Putin said it would be a "very big mistake" for South Korea to provide weapons to Ukraine and that he couldn't exclude providing North Korean leader Kim with high-precision weapons in response to Western military assistance for Ukraine.

North Korea and Russia signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty during Putin's state visit to Pyongyang on Wednesday that involves providing military assistance "without delay" if either side is attacked.

Putin said during a press conference during his trip to Vietnam on Thursday that he hoped Seoul would not arm Ukraine, that "if it does, then we too will then make a respective decision, which South Korea's current leadership is unlikely to be pleased with," according to Russian news agency Sputnik.

The treaty signed between Kim and Putin closely resembles the 1961 treaty between North Korea and the Soviet Union. With its clause on automatic military intervention in the case of an attack, the pact is the most muscular accord of its kind between the two countries since the Cold War.

The South Korean government condemned and expressed "grave concern" over the treaty and criticized the premise of the promised military cooperation — a pre-emptive strike by the international community — as "absurd."

"We emphasize that any cooperation that directly or indirectly helps North Korea increase its military power violates UN Security Council resolutions and is subject to monitoring and sanctions by the international community," the presidential office said in an official statement. "In particular, Russia, which led the resolution on sanctions against North Korea as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, is harming our security by violating the resolution and supporting North Korea, which will inevitably hurt South Korea-Russia relations."

Seoul has provided military supplies such as first-aid kits, medicine, portable mine detectors and protective gear to Ukraine but has so far refused to provide lethal weapons to Kyiv.

On Friday, South Korea's Foreign Ministry summoned Georgy Zinoviev, the Russian ambassador, and lodged a protest over the new treaty signed by Kim and Putin.

First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun met with Zinoviev on Friday and delivered Seoul's position on the treaty, according to the Foreign Ministry. Kim emphasized that the stipulated military cooperation violates UN Security Council resolutions and will negatively impact South Korea-Russia relations.

Foreign Ministry Cho Tae-yul, while visiting New York to attend a UN session, said on Thursday that it is "deplorable" that Russia has chosen to violate and ignore the resolutions it has agreed to adopt as a permanent member of the Security Council.

Cho had a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday to discuss further responsive measures toward the new treaty and heightened ties between North Korea and Russia. Cho and Blinken agreed that the treaty "poses a significant threat to the security of both South Korea and the United States" and "seriously undermines peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the region."

BY LIM JEONG-WON, SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]