South Korea's Pressure Improve Military Assistance For Ukraine, Secretary General Of NATO: It's A Decision You Have To Make

Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol. (Twitter/@jensstoltenberg)

JAKARTA - NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged South Korea on Monday to increase military support for Ukraine, citing other countries that have changed their policy of not giving weapons to countries that are conflicting after the Russian invasion.

Stoltenberg spoke in Seoul, part of its journey between South Korea and Japan, aimed at strengthening ties with Western allies in Asia in the face of war in Ukraine and increasing competition with China.

Speaking at the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies in Seoul, Stoltenberg thanked South Korea for its non-lethal assistance to Ukraine, but urged it to do more, adding there was "urgent need" for ammunition.

"I urge the Republic of Korea to continue and raise issues specifically for military support," he said.

"In the end, this is a decision you have to make, but I would say some NATO allies who have policies to never export weapons to countries in conflict have changed that policy now," he said, citing Germany, Sweden and Norway.

"If we don't want autocracy and tyranny to win, then they (Ukraine) need weapons, that's the truth," said Stoltenberg, who is also a former Norwegian prime minister.

South Korea is known to have signed a major deal to provide hundreds of tanks, planes, and other weapons to NATO members of Poland since Russia invaded Ukraine.

However, President Yoon Suk-yeol said South Korean law banning the supply of weapons to countries involved in conflict made it difficult to deliver weapons to Ukraine.

Russia called the invasion, which was launched on February 24, a "special operation" to ward off threats to its own security.

Stoltenberg met with President Yoon and Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, echoing calls for closer relations with NATO based on common values, but not publicly delivering calls for more military aid to Ukraine.

South Korea opened its first diplomatic mission for NATO last year, pledging to deepen cooperation in the fields of non-proliferation, cyber defense, counter-terrorism, disaster response, and other areas of security.

Wrapping up two days in Seoul, deepening #NATO’s close partnership with South Korea. We share values and concerns, including keeping pressure on Pyongyang to abandon its reckless missile & nuclear activities, and support for Ukraine. I look forward to doing even more together. pic.twitter.com/r5KZTs09Yl

— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) January 30, 2023