President Yoon Suk Yeol stated on October 24 that South Korea may reconsider its ban on the supply of lethal weapons to Ukraine, in light “North Korean military activity”.
“If North Korea sends special forces into the Ukraine war, then we will support Ukraine step-by-step and consider taking the necessary measures for the Korean Peninsula’s security,” Yoon said at a press conference in Seoul with Polish President Andrzej Dda.
“We have adhered strictly to the principle of not supplying lethal arms, but we may be able to review this more flexiblely depending on North Korean military activity,” he said.
South Korean law prohibits exporting weapons to active conflict areas, but Seoul has hinted repeatedly that this could be changed in light of the deepening of military cooperation between Russia & North Korea.
Yoon and Duda both denounced the deployment of North Korean troops in Russia, calling it a “direct breach of the U.N. Charter” and U.N. Security Council Resolutions. Their comments were reported by South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency.
Yoon said, “(South Korea will) never be idle about this and will take necessary steps step by step in coordination the international community based on the development of N. Korea – Russian military cooperation.”
Seoul has so far only provided non-lethal and humanitarian military aid to Kyiv. However, it has indirectly supplied Ukraine with ammunition – 155mm artillery rounds, specifically – via the U.S.
Experts who spoke with the Kyiv independent earlier this week stated that South Korea is unlikely ever to start supplying arms directly, as Seoul’s own legislation restricts it.
“It has been a consistent position because it is a law.” It’s more than a policy decision,” Jenny Town, senior Fellow at the Stimson Center, and Director of Stimson’s Korea Program and 38 North told the Kyiv Independent.
“The president cannot just say, “Hey, I changed my mind. Here’s what we’re doing now.” It really requires actual legislation to be adopted.”
Yoon’s approval ratings this week dropped to 24,1 percent, the lowest since he assumed office in 2022.
Town said that he does not have the bipartisan support needed to pass legislation, because he is “in such a weak position at this time.”
Town says that if there is going to be more military assistance for Ukraine, it will likely be through increasing indirect channels.
The U.S. confirmed publicly for the first time, on Oct. 23, that it had evidence of North Korean troops in Russia. U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said it “remains-to-be-seen” if the troops would join the fight.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the Russian president, said on October 22 that two brigades of North Koreans with up to 6,000 soldiers each are currently being trained in Russia.
An RSF source told Reuters that the aircraft was an Il-74 transport jet used to deliver weapons, ammunition, and supplies to the city Al Fashir, Sudan, where the Sudanese Army is trying to repel RSF attacks.
Eight women and three males were injured. Oleh Simiehubov, the governor of the region, said that a 73-year old woman died from severe injuries.
The General Staff announced on October 24 that Ukrainian military, lawmakers and experts discussed creating a separate branch within Ukraine’s Armed Forces to be dedicated to cyberspace activities.
Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Beijing Foreign Ministry, made the statement in spite of the fact that the U.S.A., Seoul and Kyiv have all confirmed their presence over the past few days.
Michael R. Turner is a long-serving Republican Party member and his comments are by far the strongest from any U.S. politician.
The Air Force reported that Ukrainian forces shot down 40 of 50 Shahed drones and unidentified drones launched overnight by Russia. The Air Force reported that seven more drones had been “lost” and two others were flying toward Russia and Belarus.
During the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there have been numerous reports of Russian soldiers executing Ukrainian POWs. However, they have increased dramatically in the last year.
Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarusian dictator, said in an interview to BBC that he knew Putin’s character and that he would never try to convince another country to send its army to… Ukraine.
Politico reported that anonymous officials said that Belgium, Slovenia, Spain, and other countries are reluctant to invite Ukraine to join NATO.
John Kirby, the spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council, also revealed details about U.S. intelligence assessment. Washington believes that North Korea “moved a minimum of 3000 soldiers into Eastern Russia.”
This includes 1,240 casualties that Russian forces have suffered in the last day.
On Oct. 21, the Basmanny district of Moscow sentenced Ukrainian filmmaker Alexander Rodnyansky to 8 and half years in absence for “spreading false information” about Russian Army.
German magazine Wirtschaftswoche reported that German Finance Minister Christian Lindner proposed a reevaluation of the legal status for Ukrainian refugees.
“Kremniy EL”, one of the largest microelectronics factories in Russia, produces components that are widely used in Russian defence production. These include Pantsir air-defense systems and Iskander rocket systems.
Yevhen Perebyinis, Deputy Foreign Ministry, wrote to cabinet ministers in a letter dated Oct. 23, warning that the European Union had informed Ukraine that the next tranche (4 billion euros) of the EU’s Ukraine Facility could be delayed until the following year if the expected aspects of the corruption reforms were not completed by the end this month.
Ukrainska Pravda, citing the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, reported on October 23 that Roman Hladkyi was dismissed just months after he was appointed to his controversial position in August 2024.
Belarus’ Central Electoral Commission, which announced the date on October 23, has set its next presidential elections for January 26, 2025. The incumbent Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, who is currently in power, is widely expected to remain in power following the results of the election.
Daleep Singh is the White House‘s deputy national security advisor for international economics. He said that Joe Biden intends to divide the funds between helping Ukraine’s economy and its military.
The statement read: “The next step will be advanced fast jet training with partner nations and conversion to F-16.”
“The situation in Toretsk is relatively stable.” “We (Ukrainian Forces) are now holding our line unchanged,” Anastasiia Bobbyvnikova, spokesperson for the Operational Tactical Group Luhansk said.
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