Poland urges U.S. to 'intervene' with Korea on Ukrainian arms issue

Politics

Published: 13 Apr. 2023, 17:39 Updated: 13 Apr. 2023, 19:02

Poland urges U.S. to 'intervene' with Korea on Ukrainian arms issue

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki speaks to reporters after a meeting with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris at the Vice President's Ceremonial Office of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington on Tuesday. [AFP/YONHAP]

South Korea's Defense Ministry said Thursday that nothing has changed in its existing policy against providing lethal aid to countries at war after Poland urged the United States to directly intervene to enable Korea to supply artillery shells to Ukraine.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said in an interview with the New York Times published Wednesday that Poland has spoken to Korea about ammunition deliveries, as its huge supply of artillery shells could be helpful in Ukraine's war against Russia.

However, Morawiecki said that he didn't think this was "going to be possible without the intervention of the United States," as Korea is "fearful" of Russian and Chinese reactions.

The remarks were made amid ongoing controversy over leaked classified Pentagon documents indicating that the United States has been spying on its allies, including on the Korean government's internal communications regarding the provision of military aid to Ukraine.

Morawiecki said that he would be "very happy" if U.S. President Joe Biden stepped in, noting that without "some kind of shelter, some kind of security guarantee that President Biden could give South Korea, I don't think this is going to happen."

Poland imported weapons such as K9 self-propelled howitzers and K2 battle tanks from Korea last year.

But Morawiecki stressed in the interview that Poland would never transfer the weapons without negotiating an arrangement with Korea, adding that buying shells from Korea specifically to send to Ukraine would require U.S. involvement.

Morawiecki was on trip to Washington to meet with U.S. officials earlier this week and condemned Russia's aggressions against Ukraine in a meeting with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris Tuesday in Washington.

"I believe he was speaking from the position of the prime minister of Poland," Jeon Ha-kyu, spokesman of South Korea's Defense Ministry, told reporters Thursday regarding Morawiecki's remarks on artillery supplies. "We have nothing to confirm or comment on that."

When asked to clarify if there had been conversations between Korea and Poland on the provision of ammunition to Ukraine, Jeon replied, "We will have to further check on the subject and content of the conversation."

He maintained that "there has been no change in the government's position on this matter," sticking to Korea's official stance that it will not provide lethal weapons to countries at war but will continue to provide humanitarian aid to support Ukraine.

Last Saturday, the New York Times first reported citing leaked classified Pentagon documents shared on social media that the U.S. intelligence community spied on Seoul's top presidential aides' deliberations as they were "mired in concerns" that the United States would divert artillery shells sold by Korea to Ukraine.

When Seoul agreed to sell artillery shells to help Washington replenish its stockpiles late last year, it insisted that their "end user" should be the U.S. military.

According to one purported top secret intelligence document, Lee Moon-hee, then presidential secretary for foreign affairs, told his boss, then-National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han, on March 1 that Korea's National Security Council (NSC) was worried that Biden will call President Yoon Suk Yeol to press him on the arms issue. He relayed that Korea was not prepared for such talks without coming up with a clear position first, as it could not violate its own policy against supplying lethal aid.

At the time, Kim suggested selling 330,000 rounds of 155-millimeter artillery shells to Poland, according to the document. Lee said that it may be possible for Poland to agree to being called the end user and send the ammunition on to Ukraine, but that Korea would need to verify what Poland would do.

It's uncertain what Lee meant by this, however.

Lee and Kim both abruptly resigned from their posts last month.

Seoul's presidential office has not confirmed this communication and said it agreed with the United States that many of the leaked documents had been "fabricated."

Last November, the United States purchased 100,000 rounds of 155-millimeter shells from Korea, reportedly to be supplied to Ukraine. The Korean Defense Ministry at the time maintained that it believed the "end user" of the ammunition would be the United States, sticking to its position that it will not provide lethal aid to Ukraine.

On Wednesday, the Dong-A Ilbo first reported that Korea reached an agreement to lend the United States 500,000 rounds of 155-millimeter artillery shells, rather than selling them.

The Defense Ministry has not confirmed nor denied the reports.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]