Presidents Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea (L) and Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine (R) during their meeting in Kyiv on 15 July 2023. Photo: screenshot from an official video by Ukraine President's Office.
“Last year, the government of the Republic of Korea allocated $100 million to support Ukraine. This year, this support will amount to 150 million,” Yoon said, adding that Korea would also consider the possibility of the World Bank providing $10 million in support for Ukraine.
After his trips to a NATO summit in Lithuania and Poland earlier this week, the South Korean president paid his first visit to Ukraine for the first time for talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“Last year we provided bulletproof vests, helmets, and other necessary gear. We hope that this year the level of our assistance will be much higher,” President Yoon said, according to Liga.
South Korea sends humanitarian and non-lethal military aid to Ukraine, and has been reluctant to sell Kyiv weapons or provide it with lethal military aid. The Wall Street Journal, however, claimed that Seoul confidentially sends artillery shells to Ukraine.
The President of the Republic of Korea first visited the towns of Bucha and Irpin, where he “was able to see with his own eyes the consequences of the Russian occupation,” according to the Ukrainian President’s website.
During the negotiations with President Zelenskyy, President Yoon says they have focused on the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine and cooperation in this area. In particular, Korea plans to allocate funds to restore infrastructure, assist entrepreneurship, and reconstruct the education system.
The presidents discussed Ukraine’s Peace Formula, food, and energy security, according to Ukrinform.
Read also:
- South Korea is transferring hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds for Ukraine under a confidential arrangement — WSJ
- South Korea’s leader vows to expand non-lethal aid to Ukraine in meeting with Ukraine’s first lady – AP
- South Korean president named conditions for the military aid to Ukraine
- Russia wants to impose “Korean scenario” of division on Ukraine – Ukraine NSDC Secretary Danilov
Tags: aid for Ukraine, South Korea