On July 7 (local time), according to Xinhua, South Korea announced that it would provide a new 100 million USD humanitarian aid to Ukraine on the occasion of President Lee Jae Myung's participation in the NATO summit in Ankara (Turkey), where Seoul was invited to attend as one of the 4 Indo-Pacific regional partners of the alliance.
The information was announced by South Korean National Security Advisor Wi Sung Lak at a press conference before the conference.
Mr. Wi said that the new aid package demonstrates South Korea's commitment to contributing to international peace and stability.
However, a senior official in the South Korean government affirmed that this aid is limited to humanitarian purposes and does not include weapons.
The official emphasized Seoul's stance on only providing non-lethal goods to Ukraine remained unchanged.
He also said that the South Korean government has not yet made a final decision on how to allocate the 100 million USD aid.
Since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in 2022, Seoul has repeatedly supported Kiev but mainly in the form of humanitarian aid and providing non-lethal equipment.
Among them are military supplies such as helmets, protective equipment and many types of goods serving relief operations, but Seoul has never transferred weapons or ammunition directly to Ukraine.
This position is maintained by South Korea in the context that it still pursues a policy of restricting arms exports to conflict zones.
Although not directly providing weapons aid to Kiev, the South Korean defense industry recorded strong growth thanks to increased demand from European countries.
According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), in the period 2021 - 2025, South Korea has become the second largest arms supplier to NATO member countries in Europe, second only to the United States.
In recent years, many European countries have increased purchases of tanks, self-propelled artillery, air defense systems and military equipment manufactured by South Korea to modernize their armed forces in the context of a volatile regional security environment.
Seoul's continued announcement of a new humanitarian aid package, while reaffirming that it does not transfer weapons, shows that South Korea still maintains a cautious approach to the conflict in Ukraine, although this country is increasingly playing an important role in Europe's defense supply chain.
