EU to press South Korea to provide Ukraine with ammunition

The EU is expected to pressure Seoul to send ammunition directly to Ukraine during a visit by European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen later this month, EURACTIV has learnt.

Both EU leaders are expected to meet South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul on 22 May for the bloc’s regular EU-South Korea summit.

They are expected to ask South Korea “to be more forthcoming” on its refusal to send long-requested ammunition as well as other military equipment to Ukraine, one senior EU official told EURACTIV.

Over the past weeks, the ammunition issue has gained more traction as Ukraine prepares for its counter-offensive against Russia in the southeast of the country.

Ukraine’s European allies look to South Korea to provide military aid as the bloc’s ammunition factories will take several months to ramp up production, a situation compounded by a lack of large amounts of explosives available on the market.

Quick option

“South Korea has the capacity to provide the ammunition on short notice”, Ramon Pacheco Pardo, Korea Chair of the Center for Security, Diplomacy, and Strategy of Brussels Free University (VUB) told EURACTIV.

Since “stocks are low across EU and the US, they are looking at South Korea for ammunition in the short term, not only to replenish their stocks but also to provide Ukraine directly,” Pacheco Pardo said.

In addition, “Korean-manufactured ammunition is compatible with NATO’s standards,” meaning also with a large amount of equipment used by the Ukrainian armed forces, he added.

The EU’s push is motivated by the fact that “we have seen South Korea reluctant to deliver ammunition to Ukraine,” the senior EU official told EURACTIV.

Although Seoul’s production capacities have allowed “a degree of backfilling” of  EU member states stocks depleted by their deliveries to Kyiv, member states are not allowed to then donate them to Kyiv.

“From a legal point of view, South Korea says it is not possible for them to provide [ammunition] to a country involved in war,” Pacheco Pardo said.

Another option is for Seoul to sell the equipment to an EU member state, which will then donate the equipment, such as Poland did for instance, according to recent US intelligence leaks.

It is also unclear whether a direct South Korean supply to Kyiv would be faster than the current procedures.

“Even if South Korea says they’ll supply Ukraine directly, the equipment would have to go through Poland,” as the hub for the military aid deliveries, Pacheco Pardo said.

“The decision process would be faster because it would be handled directly, although South Korea already knows what Ukraine wants,” he added.

EU wants a role

The EU’s impact in itself will be little, “because the United States have already been discussing this with South Korea, although not publicly – and the US is a military ally, whereas the EU is a partner”, Pacheco Pardo argued.

However, there is a “political point” to be made, which is “important”, he pointed out, both for the Europans to make and in a show of support to the Ukrainians.

The EU would then add to the pressure on Seoul, on top of other close partners.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg when visiting Seoul in January said that “there is an urgent need for more ammunition, more weapons to Ukraine if they don’t get that they will not able to resist and repel the Russian invaders under Russian aggression”.

“What happens in Europe matters to the Indo-Pacific,” Stoltenberg then said, but added that “at the end of the day, [it is] a decision for you to make”.

“We spoke to South Korea about this, the weapon delivery and delivery of ammunition,” Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told the New York Times in April.

“But I don’t think that this is going to be possible without the intervention of the United States. South Korea is fearful of Russian reaction and Chinese reaction,” he added.

Global considerations

Seoul’s dilemma is linked to its wish not to set a dangerous precedent.

Even though selling to a country at war is forbidden, “I think if a company or the government decided to provide to Ukraine, I don’t think anyone would bring either to court”, Pacheco Pardo said.

Although, “if South Korea were to change its policy, then other countries in the world would ask: why not me?” “It sets a precedent: any other country at war would ask for the same,” he said.

It would then become “tricky” for Seoul to say no to them, he pointed out.

[Edited by Alice Taylor]

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