On August 24 (Seoul time), according to TASS news agency, senior advisor to the strategy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Mr. Alexander Kamyshin, is said to have arrived in South Korea to request this country to provide defense weapons. However, Kiev's request was rejected by Seoul on August 10.
According to sources, Ukraine is facing a shortage of air defense weapons and has requested South Korea to support the latest Patriot interceptor missiles through diplomatic and security channels.
Mr. Kamyshin arrived in South Korea in early July and met with officials from the Ministry of Defense and the South Korean Defense Acquisition Program Authority. At the meetings, Ukrainian officials were said to have asked South Korea to support PAC-3, the latest version of the Patriot interceptor missile systems that Seoul owns.
This proposal was later considered by the South Korean government. Seoul considered several options, including the possibility of supporting Kiev with Cheongung-II, a surface-to-air missile system developed by South Korea itself, instead of Patriot missiles.
However, the ability to supply Cheongung-II also faces obstacles due to limited additional production capacity. Existing production lines are having to meet export contracts signed with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
On August 8, President Zelensky publicly called on South Korea to provide air defense systems to Ukraine. Sources assessed that this move increased pressure in the negotiation process between Kiev and Seoul.
2 days later, on August 10, a senior official of the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the country still maintains a policy of not providing weapons that cause damage to Ukraine. This is also the reason why Kiev's request to support Patriot interceptor missiles was not accepted.
South Korea previously provided financial support to Ukraine and provided some non-lethal military equipment, including helmets. However, Seoul has never provided weapons or ammunition to Kiev.
