Seoul's pivotal shift: South Korea eyes lethal aid to Ukraine
South Korea has been supporting Ukraine for months, but the assistance provided does not include "lethal weapons." However, Seoul is increasingly considering lifting the ban on the supply of such weapons in connection with Russia's and North Korea's actions. Ukraine could receive well-known equipment from a country that, according to the Global Firepower ranking, possesses the fifth most powerful army in the world.
The Ukrainian portal Defence Express, specialising in military topics, believes that among the "favourites" that might reach Ukraine from South Korean warehouses are primarily T-80U tanks and BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles.
Weapons from South Korea for Ukraine?
According to publicly available data, the South Korean army has approximately 40 T-80U tanks and around 70 BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles, which Russia delivered to this country in the 1990s.
Despite the ongoing threat from North Korea, the T-80U and BMP-3 are not significant for the South Korean army, which possesses a range of newer arsenals. Additionally, the T-80U and BMP-3 are no longer in satisfactory technical condition, but for Ukraine, they could still prove to be valuable reinforcements—both as combat equipment and as "donors of spare parts."
The BMP-3 began to be introduced into service in the USSR in the late 1970s as an improvement over the BMP-2. After the dissolution of the USSR, some BMP-3 units were included in the armies of newly formed countries, including Ukraine, which continues to use these infantry fighting vehicles to this day. These vehicles are based on tracked traction and engines with approximately 500 horsepower. They accelerate up to about 70 km/h. They are armed with a low-pressure 100 mm cannon, a 30 mm cannon, and a 7.62 mm machine gun.
Will South Korea change its approach to the war in Ukraine?
The T-80U is a variant of the widely distributed T-80 family of tanks. It originated from the USSR, and some variants were used by both sides of the ongoing war in Ukraine. The T-80U features a more powerful engine (generating 1,250 horsepower). The main armament consists of a 125 mm smoothbore cannon.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky first approached the South Korean parliament in 2022, requesting, among other things, the transfer of armoured vehicles, air defence systems, and other heavy weapons. However, Seoul has consistently rejected such requests.
Considerations regarding a possible change of stance are intensifying largely due to the actions of North Korea and Russia, which are increasingly cooperating militarily and economically. Pyongyang has been supplying artillery ammunition and ballistic missiles used by Putin's army in Ukraine for months, and there have been reports that it may decide to send its soldiers to the Ukrainian front.
