On Friday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stated that Seoul was considering deadly help to Kyiv to stop Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Yoon said the Russian incursion violated international law and Ukrainians’ rights in a speech at Harvard University’s Kennedy School on the fifth day of a state visit to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-South Korean alliance.
“We should prove that such attempts will never succeed, to block further attempts,” he stated in simultaneous translations.
Yoon replied:
“We are constantly following the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine and will take appropriate actions to preserve international norms and law.
“Right now we are closely monitoring the situation and considering various options.”
Yoon met with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House on Wednesday. The U.S. promised to provide South Korea with additional nuclear preparedness for any battle with North Korea amid concerns about Pyongyang’s burgeoning missile and bomb capabilities. They also addressed Ukraine.
In an interview with Reuters last week before heading for the US, Yoon indicated that Seoul would arm Ukraine if it suffered a large-scale civilian strike.
In response to another question, Yoon denied that the Washington Declaration he and Biden signed accepted North Korea as a nuclear power and said he opposed addressing North Korea’s nuclear weapons as a disarmament problem.
If we allow North Korean nuclear weapons, South Korea may have to have nuclear weapons, which would lead to disarmament. “We don’t want this,” he said.
Yoon said the Washington Declaration compelled Seoul to obey the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and not acquire nuclear weapons.
He said South Korean culture believed Seoul should obtain nuclear weapons and possess the technology, but it was a complicated political and economic issue.
“We would need to give up many of the values that we’ve been upholding if we decide to develop our weapons,” he added. “Those saying we need our own nuclear arsenal are not considering all these things.”
