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South Korea not considering weapons supplies to Ukraine — Defense Ministry

It is noted that the deal involves the export of 4.3 million bullets and tens of thousands of shells

SEOUL, April 20. /TASS/. The Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Korea has not received any instructions to consider supplying weapons to Ukraine, the ministry's Spokesperson Jeon Ha-kyu said on Thursday.

"There was no such instruction. There has been no change in the government's position on not providing lethal weapons," he replied when asked by reporters whether the ministry had received orders to look at offering military aid to Ukraine. The minister was quoted by the MBC TV channel.

At the same time, on Thursday, a spokesperson for South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration dismissed assumptions that the export of tank shells and machine gun ammunition to Poland was indirect support for Ukraine. "The export of tank and machine gun ammunition is intended to restore the combat capabilities of the Polish Armed Forces. Poland will be their end user," the administration said.

According to local media, the deal involves the export of 4.3 million bullets and tens of thousands of shells. South Korea's Poongsan has reached an agreement with Hyundai Rotem, which exports tanks to Poland, on supplies of 293.4 billion won ($221 million) worth of ammunition, the SBS News broadcasting corporation reported on Wednesday. According to its source, Hyundai Rotem will supply shells, machine gun ammunition and reactive armor along with the tanks.

On Thursday, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lim Soo-suk said that the South Korean government has not changed its position regarding arms supplies to Kiev. He reiterated that Seoul "actively participates in the international community's efforts to protect Ukraine's freedom and restore peace," including humanitarian aid.

In an interview with Reuters published on Wednesday, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol did not rule out that Seoul might start supplying weapons to Ukraine if there was a serious threat to civilians or a serious violation of the laws of war.

According to the Yonhap news agency, Lim Soo-suk said that the president was speaking in "hypotheticals" during the interview.

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