Seoul promises $10 million in aid to Ukraine

Diplomacy

Published: 03 Mar. 2022, 18:45 Updated: 03 Mar. 2022, 20:11

Seoul promises $10 million in aid to Ukraine

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong takes a phone call in a file photo provided by the Foreign Ministry. [YONHAP]

Korea will send emergency aid to Ukraine as soon as possible, Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong told Ukraine's foreign minister in a telephone call on Wednesday.

“In the call, Chung expressed regret that innocent people have been killed, and said the Korean government will provide $10 million in humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian government and people,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba gave an update on the situation in Ukraine and said he will not forget the solidarity and support shown by the Korean government and people during this difficult time, according to the ministry.

Korea will be sending personal protective equipment, first-aid kits and blankets to the country.

President Moon Jae-in later on Thursday also spoke of his support for the Ukrainian people in his call with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"I express my deepest condolences to the victims and bereaved families of the Russian invasion, and I pay tribute to the courage and sacrifice of the president and the Ukrainian people who are resolutely fighting the aggression," Moon said, according to the Blue House.

Korea was among 141 countries that voted in the UN General Assembly on Wednesday for a resolution to reaffirm Ukrainian sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and demand Russia immediately withdraw its troops.

Five countries voted against it – Russia, Belarus, Syria, North Korea and Eritrea – and 35 abstained, including China, India and Iran.

The resolution was passed in an emergency session requested by the UN Security Council. It holds no legally bounding power but sends a political message on the Russian invasion. Even longtime Russian allies such as Serbia supported Ukraine in the vote.

“The message of the General Assembly is loud and clear,” said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to the press after the session. “End hostilities in Ukraine now. Silence the guns now. Open the door to dialogue and diplomacy now.”

Russia invaded Ukraine by air, land and sea on Feb. 24, and in recent days stepped up its attacks on key cities including the southern port of Kherson and Kharkiv, the second largest city in the country. Russian troops were reported Wednesday to be encircling Kyiv, the capital city.

Over 2,000 civilians have been killed in the conflict, many of whom volunteered to fight with the Ukrainian army, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service on Wednesday. Over a million have fled Ukraine as of Wednesday, according to the UN.

The Korean Embassy in Kyiv relocated on late Wednesday evening to Chernivtsi, a southwestern city close to Ukraine's borders with Romania and Moldova.

“The Korean Embassy will continue its work in Ukraine,” said Choi Young-sam, the Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson, in a press briefing on Thursday. “The embassy will continue to provide assistance for all Korean citizens remaining in the country.”

There were 40 Koreans known to be in Ukraine as of Thursday morning, according to the Foreign Ministry.

The Korean Embassy in Ukraine has also been operating an interim office in Lviv, a southern city close to the border with Poland, to assist Korean citizens’ evacuations.

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]