South Korea’s rumoured Ukraine deployment draws domestic backlash

Seoul is reportedly considering sending military observers to Ukraine to assist in interrogating North Korean prisoners of war

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South Korean soldiers march during a parade in Seoul to mark Armed Forces Day earlier this month. Photo: AP

Published: 11:42am, 29 Oct 2024Updated: 1:02pm, 29 Oct 2024

As South Korea reportedly contemplates sending military observers to Ukraine, a political reckoning is brewing back in Seoul. Critics accuse the conservative government of using the conflict to sidestep mounting domestic challenges, raising questions about the implications of such a move on national security and public trust.

At a press briefing on Monday, a defence ministry spokesman refrained from confirming the deployment, reported by Yonhap, stating only: “The government will carry out necessary studies and measures.”

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service has similarly declined to comment on unconfirmed reports that it might dispatch agents to Ukraine for the interrogation of North Korean prisoners of war.

President Yoon Suk-yeol, in a conversation with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, indicated that a South Korean delegation currently engaging with the transatlantic security alliance and European Union officials regarding North Korea’s involvement in the war would also travel to Ukraine.

The delegation aims to meet with Ukrainian intelligence and defence officials to share battlefield information and discuss cooperation measures, Yoon’s office said in a statement on Monday.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol shakes hands with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky following talks in Kyiv last year. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS

“I hope that … Nato will strengthen efforts to monitor and block illegal exchanges between Russia and North Korea through solidarity and coordination,” Yoon was quoted as saying in his second phone call with Rutte within a week.