South Korea Weighs Joining PURL Initiative to Purchase U.S. Weapons for Ukraine

South Korea is considering joining the NATO-led PURL initiative, which is designed to purchase U.S. weapons for Ukraine.

According to The Korea Times, citing diplomatic sources, NATO has asked South Korea to take part in the program.

If Seoul decides to participate, the move could strengthen its defense ties with Europe, as the country seeks to expand arms exports to NATO member states.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it is “continuing discussions with NATO on various ways to support Ukraine.” A ministry official also confirmed that NATO formally requested South Korea’s participation in the Ukraine support mechanism.

According to the official, Seoul’s position on assisting the war-affected country remains focused on “humanitarian aid and other non-lethal military equipment,” declining to specify whether the South Korean government is leaning toward participation in PURL.

What is the PURL program?

In July 2025, NATO and the United States launched the PURL (Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List) initiative.

The mechanism is designed to allocate funding and coordinate the procurement and delivery of U.S.-manufactured weapons and ammunition for the needs of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

Ukraine’s main requests under PURL include air defense systems, rockets for M142 HIMARS, and critical ammunition that can only be supplied by the United States.

Ukraine compiles a list of required weapons and submits it to NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU), where it is coordinated with the United States. Once available items are identified, an assistance package is formed and funded by allied countries.

It recently became known that Japan is also planning to join the PURL initiative. Tokyo will provide funding exclusively for defensive, non-lethal equipment.

In particular, this includes possible supplies of radar systems to strengthen air defense capabilities, as well as body armor.