South Korean Presidents unannounced visit to Ukraine to meet with Zelensky

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The President of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, made an unannounced visit to Ukraine on Saturday, according to his office, where he headed to the town of Bucha before meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky.

The South Korean presidential office stated, "The President first toured the town of Bucha, which witnessed a massacre near the capital, Kyiv, and the city of Irpin, where rocket attacks targeted civilian residential areas," adding that Yoon Suk Yeol will meet with Zelensky later on Saturday.

The presidency stated that "President Yoon Suk Yeol will visit a memorial for war victims to lay a wreath of flowers and will hold a summit meeting with President Zelensky."

South Korea, the ninth-largest arms exporter in the world, has sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine and has also sold tanks and howitzer artillery to Poland, a key ally of Kyiv in the face of Russian forces.

South Korea has long adhered to a policy of not providing arms to active conflict zones, a stance it has maintained in the Ukrainian situation despite calls from the United States, European countries, and Kyiv itself to send weapons.

It is expected that the meeting between Moon and Zelensky, who previously urged South Korea to directly supply Ukraine with weapons, will discuss the assistance provided by Seoul.

South Korea, which is still technically at war with nuclear-armed North Korea, produces significant quantities of weapons in line with NATO's armament directives, including tanks, howitzer artillery, and ammunition.

Seoul has hinted at a possible reconsideration of its policy of not supplying lethal weapons. The President's office earlier this year indicated that Russia's large-scale attack on Ukrainian civilians could change its stance.

However, experts point to Seoul's delicate position on this issue due to its economic ties with Moscow, its fifteenth-largest trading partner in 2022, and Russia's influence over its neighbor, North Korea.

AFP