The President of the Republic of Korea has denied the supply of lethal weapons to Ukraine.

It was reported by Reuters.

Yoon Suk-yeol said on Friday, October 28, that Seoul had not provided any lethal weapons to Ukraine.

He made such a statement after Russian President Putin had said that such a decision would destroy the bilateral relations between Korea and Russia.

Putin made such a statement on October 27, speaking at a meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club. The Russian President said that South Korea’s decision to supply weapons to Ukraine “will destroy relations between Seoul and Moscow.”

“We have been in solidarity with the international community for peaceful, humanitarian aid to Ukraine and have not provided any lethal weapons, but that’s in any regard a matter of our sovereignty,” Yoon told reporters when asked about Putin’s statement.

The Republic of Korea is an ally of the United States. Earlier, the country declared that it would not provide lethal assistance to Ukraine and, according to Reuters, tries to avoid aggravating relations with Russia, both for economic reasons and because of the influence that Moscow may have on North Korea.

“We are putting efforts to maintain peaceful, good relations with every country in the world, including Russia,” Yoon added.

In early June, it became known that the largest manufacturer of armored plates in South Korea, Welcron, had sent 5,000 armored plates to Ukraine. The delivery took place in two stages – in late March and early April.

However, this was not intergovernmental assistance, but the decision of a private company. The company learned that Ukraine needed plates for body armor from the Embassy of Ukraine in South Korea.

The company’s armor plates are certified by NIJ Level 4. They are made of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). Such armor is able to stop armor-piercing bullets.

Besides, the Ukrainian military received Korean MREs.