The South Korean president is considering the possibility of supplying weapons to Ukraine

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea's president on Thursday raised the possibility of sending arms to Ukraine while stressing that his government “will not stand idle” as North Korea reportedly sends troops to help Russia's aggression towards its neighbor.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol spoke to reporters after a meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda, which came a day after American and South Korean officials said they believed it would happen 3,000 North Korean soldiers were sent to Russia and train at several locations. South Korea's spy service told lawmakers that North Korea expects to send a total of 10,000 soldiers to Russia by the end of the year.

Yoon's meeting with Duda focused on expanding defense cooperation between the countries amid the ongoing conflict. Poland has signed a number of Gun shops Over the past two years, South Korea has worked with South Korea to acquire tanks, howitzers and rocket launchers to bolster its military capabilities following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Both Moscow and Pyongyang denied the presence of North Korean troops.

Yoon said South Korea will work with allies and partners to prepare countermeasures that could be implemented gradually depending on the level of military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.

Seoul's moves could potentially include supplying weapons to Ukraine, which would mark a departure from its longstanding policy of not supplying weapons to countries actively engaged in conflict, Yoon said. He said North Korea's alleged troop deployment to Russia was a “provocation that threatens global security beyond the Korean Peninsula and Europe.”

“If North Korea sends special forces to the Ukraine war within the framework of Russian-North Korean cooperation, we will gradually support Ukraine and also consider and implement the measures necessary for security on the Korean Peninsula,” Yoon said during a joint press conference with Duda.

“Although we have maintained our policy of not directly supplying lethal weapons, we can reconsider our stance more flexibly depending on the extent of North Korean military activities,” Yoon said.

Yoon's comments were consistent with what a senior presidential official told reporters on condition of anonymity earlier this week. This official said South Korea is considering various diplomatic, economic and military options, including supplying defense and offensive weapons systems to Ukraine.

South Korea, a growing arms exporter, has provided humanitarian aid, among other things non-lethal support for Ukraine and joined US-led economic sanctions against Moscow. So far it has resisted demands from Kiev and NATO to supply Ukraine directly with weapons.

During their summit, Yoon and Duda agreed to “actively support” additional deliveries of South Korean military equipment to Poland, including a new contract for Korean K-2 tanks that the governments plan to finalize later this year, Yoon's office said.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have worsened since 2022 after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un used Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a distraction to accelerate the growth of his nuclear weapons and missile programs.

Seoul is also worried, with experts saying the North could seek major technology transfers in return for sending troops, including Russian know-how on intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarines, which would increase the threat of Kim's nuclear arsenal.

Experts say it is unclear how effective North Korean soldiers would be in combat, given their lack of active battlefield experience, outdated conventional weapons and training experience with Russian forces. Kim could view the troop deployment as a crucial opportunity to familiarize his soldiers with modern warfare and technologies, said Hong Min, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul.

During a parliamentary hearing, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun said North Korean troops would likely become “cannon fodder” if deployed in combat in Ukraine and condemned Pyongyang's leadership for “selling out its troops to an illegal invasion.” .

“Trooping is just a phrase, and it would be more appropriate to call them mercenaries,” he said. “The North Koreans disguise themselves in Russian uniforms and operate under Russian control with no operational autonomy, merely following orders.”