NATO’s chief urges South Korea to step up military support for Ukraine

On Monday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged South Korea to increase military support to Ukraine.

Reuters writes about it.

He suggested that the country’s authorities reconsider their policy of not providing weapons to countries in military conflicts.

The day before, Stoltenberg arrived in Seoul for a two-day visit. He will also visit Japan.

The visit is part of an effort to strengthen ties with democratic allies in the region in the face of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and rising competition with China.

On Sunday, he met with high-ranking South Korean officials, and on Monday he spoke at the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies in Seoul. In his address, the Secretary-General publicly called on the country to do more to help Ukraine, saying there was an “urgent need for additional ammunition.”

“If we believe in freedom, democracy, if we do not want autocracy and tyranny to win, then they [Ukrainians] need weapons. I urge the Republic of Korea to continue and to step up on the specific issue of military support” said Jens Stoltenberg.

The legislation of the Republic of Korea prohibits the supply of weapons to countries in military conflicts.

However, the NATO Secretary-General referred to Germany and Norway, which still followed a “long-standing policy of not exporting weapons to countries in which conflicts are ongoing”, but revised their position after Russia launched a full-scale war in Ukraine.

According to Stoltenberg, the events taking place in Europe and North America are interconnected with other regions. Therefore, the Alliance wants to help manage global threats by increasing partnerships in Asia.

As previously reported, the US Department of Defense asked its forces stationed in South Korea to provide equipment to help Ukraine in the war with the Russian invaders.

Last December, South Korea handed over 100 SsangYong Musso pickup trucks and 5 DOOSAN DX17Z mini excavators to support Ukraine.