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President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks at a national strategy meeting on secondary cell batteries held at the Blue House guest house on April 20. (presidential office pool photo)

Remarks made by President Yoon Suk-yeol about possibly providing lethal aid to Ukraine based on certain conditions continue to cause a stir in the international community.

As Russia protests the sentiment while the US welcomes it, the confrontation between South Korea, the US and Japan on one side and North Korea, China and Russia on the other is intensifying. In particular, concerns are growing over Yoon’s diplomatic approach of going all-in on the US.

While Yoon cited preconditions for offering Ukraine military aid, the president has in essence laid the groundwork for Russia to deepen its ties with North Korea and has stoked the overall sense of crisis on the Korean Peninsula.

A high-ranking presidential office official told reporters on Thursday that the president’s comments made in the interview with Reuters were “sensible and theoretical answers,” adding that Korea’s thoughts moving forward “will depend on Russia’s future actions.”

According to the official, the government will maintain its current position on the condition that there are no mass civilian casualties that would “result in the international community’s indignation,” essentially putting the onus on Russia.

In his interview published on Wednesday by Reuters, Yoon said that “it might be difficult for us to insist only on humanitarian or financial support” in case of “a situation the international community cannot condone, such as any large-scale attack on civilians.” Russia’s Kremlin was quick to respond to the remarks.

On Thursday, the spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, protested Yoon’s remarks, saying, “We will consider any supplies of weapons to Ukraine, wherever they might come from, as an openly hostile anti-Russian move.”

“Such steps will negatively impact bilateral relations with those states that take them and will be taken into account when elaborating Russia’s positions on issues concerning core security interests of the relevant countries,” she went on.

Singling out Seoul, she said, “As for South Korea, it might be about the approaches to the settlement of the situation on the Korean Peninsula.” In other words, she hinted at the possibility of Russia exerting influence on inter-Korean Relations through the special bilateral relationship it shares with North Korea.

The Russian Embassy in South Korea also lashed back at Yoon’s comments, taking a similar position to its Foreign Ministry.

The US, on the other hand, has welcomed Yoon’s remarks, saying it appreciates South Korea’s contributions to NATO and the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, according to a statement by US Department of Defense spokesperson John Supple. The US State Department also said it would “work closely” with allies on additional aid for Ukraine.

Although confrontations surrounding the Korean Peninsula have intensified due to Yoon’s remarks, the president\'s office called Russia’s response “comments about something that hasn’t happened” while stating that the topic of providing aid to Ukraine would unlikely be discussed during next week’s South Korea-US summit, scheduled for April 26.

To this point, a high-level official in Yoon’s office said, “A discussion between South Korea and the US on what kind of additional aid will be provided to Ukraine is not currently being prepared.”

However, it will be difficult for Yoon to evade criticism for his actions, which resulted in provoking other countries and leading to an ever more unfavorable geopolitical situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula.

Russia is not the only country upset with Yoon’s remarks. In his interview with Reuters, Yoon said regarding the Taiwan issue that “we together with the international community absolutely oppose” attempts to change the status quo by force.

In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Thursday that the Taiwan issue is “a matter for the Chinese, who do not need to be told what should or should not be done.”

In turn, South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the Chinese spokesperson’s remarks “a serious diplomatic discourtesy that calls into question China’s national integrity.”

China and Russia already began strengthening bilateral relations when President Xi Jinping visited Russia last month. It’s important to remember, however, that South Korea urgently needs both Chinese and Russian cooperation to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue. China is also South Korea’s largest trading partner, and trade with Russia amounted to a not-insignificant US$21.15 billion last year.

“The goal should be to find a balance between the US, China, and Russia to maximize national interests, but no one will accept us giving up on all of them and unilaterally siding with the US,” says Lee Sang-man, professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies.

“In order to make policy decisions, the first step is to listen to the opinions of the ruling and opposition parties and present the issue to the public. This isn’t something the president can decide on alone and announce through the media,” Lee pointed out.

Yoon’s comments generated backlash from local politicians as well.

“Yesterday was a day when the Republic of Korea and its people incurred a massive debt due to a few words spoken by the president,” Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, told reporters. “I am concerned that the direct mention of the issue of military support will seriously damage relations with Russia and put a heavy burden on stability and peace in Northeast Asia.”

By Kim Mi-na, staff reporter; Jang Ye-ji, staff reporter

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