South Korean President pays surprise visit to Ukraine

SEOUL, July 15

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol was visiting Ukraine on Saturday for talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Yonhap news agency said, citing the South Korean presidential office.

The surprise trip came after Yoon attended a NATO summit in Lithuania and visited Poland, where he expressed solidarity with Ukraine and explored ways to support its fight against Russia’s invasion, Yonhap said.

Yoon visited the site of mass killings in Bucha near the capital Kyiv, before visiting Irpin, a residential area that received large-scale missile attacks. He was expected to hold a summit with Zelenskyy afterward, the report said.

A US ally and rising arms exporter, South Korea has faced renewed pressure to provide weapons to Ukraine, which Yoon’s administration has resisted in favour of humanitarian and financial aid, wary of Russia’s influence over North Korea.

Yoon said this week his administration was preparing to send de-mining equipment and ambulances following a request from Ukraine, and will join NATO’s trust fund for Ukraine.

Zelenskyy asked Yoon to boost military support when they met for the first time in May. South Korea’s defence ministry has said it was discussing exporting ammunition to the US, but said media reports that Seoul had agreed to send artillery rounds to the US for delivery to Ukraine were inaccurate. — Reuters