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President Yoon Suk-yeol shakes hands with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine following their joint address to the press following a summit in Kyiv on July 15. (courtesy of the presidential office)

Following his visit to Poland, President Yoon Suk-yeol visited war-torn Ukraine on Saturday, extending his tour through Europe. Yoon met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the presidential palace in Kyiv for a summit, where he said he would “push for an initiative of peace and solidarity for Ukraine encompassing support regarding security, humanitarian aid, and reconstruction from South Korea.”

Yoon’s surprise trip to Ukraine followed his participation in the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, where he jumped aboard the bandwagon attempting to hold China and Russia in check. By personally setting foot in Ukraine afterward, Yoon demonstrated his stance against Russia.

Back home in Korea, there’s growing concern that Yoon’s emphasis on “values diplomacy” and siding too closely with the US and the West may threaten national interest regarding Seoul’s relations with Moscow.

Leading a briefing regarding the outcome of Yoon’s visit to Ukraine at a press center in Warsaw on Sunday, Kim Tae-hyo, the first deputy director of the president’s National Security Office, stated that the Yoon administration prepared nine packages for Ukraine in total: three in the security field, three in the humanitarian aid field, and three in the reconstruction field.

In the security field, South Korea pledged to expand war supplies support including bulletproof jackets and helmets and to also plan medium- to long-term bilateral cooperation in the defense industry. Regarding humanitarian aid, Kim said, “As there is desperate demand for mine detectors and minesweepers in Ukraine, we decided to expand support.” In the reconstruction field, the Yoon administration promised to pursue infrastructure construction projects utilizing US$100 million in funds.

During their visit, Yoon and first lady Kim Keon-hee toured Bucha, a city near the Ukrainian capital where civilian massacres took place; Irpin, a civilian residential area ravaged by concentrated missile attacks; and the National Specialized Children’s Hospital, where humanitarian aid is in dire need.

The presidential office explained that Yoon’s visit to Ukraine is an extension of his “values diplomacy,” which considers solidarity between liberal democracies its highest priority. Following his meeting with Zelenskyy, Yoon remarked in his joint statement with the Ukrainian president, “The current situation in Ukraine is reminiscent of South Korea 70 years ago. If we join forces in strong solidarity and walk onto the battlefield prepared to fight to the death, we will undoubtedly be able to protect our freedom and democracy.”

This is a statement suitable for allies fighting the same enemy. Yoon continued, “South Korea will be a partner that cultivates freedom, peace, and prosperity in Ukraine, and will further become a reliable partner who contributes to freedom, peace, and prosperity worldwide together with Ukraine.”

Regarding Yoon’s trip to Ukraine, Kim Tae-hyo told reporters it should be seen as “values diplomacy and responsible diplomacy being put into practice beyond Asia and in Europe, forming three-dimensional and intimate solidarities at a global level.”

The presidential office also highlighted the fact that Yoon is the first South Korean president to visit a war zone, not simply somewhere South Korean forces are deployed. The office explained that while there are precedents in which presidents, namely Park Chung-hee and Roh Moo-hyun, visited locations where Korean troops were deployed, such as Vietnam and Iraq, in the past, this is the first time a South Korean president visited the field of battle “as a responsible member of the international community to show solidarity.”

Yoon’s visit can be seen as a strategic move intended to strengthen ties with Ukraine to help South Korean companies secure reconstruction projects in Ukraine once the war is over. Regarding what prompted the trip, Kim Tae-hyo shared, “The situation in Ukraine can be assessed concretely by observing the scene in person with our own eyes, and visceral experience enabled us to precisely identify what is needed and what kind of cooperation we can carry out.”

But critics say Yoon is proclaiming South Korea as a country hostile to Russia through his visit, putting South Korea in danger. So far, foreign heads of state who visited Ukraine include US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Most of them are the heads of state of G7 countries, close in proximity to or sharing core interests with Ukraine. Yoon is the third state leader of an Asian country to visit Ukraine after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

A source who worked as a diplomat for over 30 years was critical of Yoon’s visit.

“On the diplomatic stage, expressions like ‘values diplomacy’ is a modifier espoused by superpowers like the US in pursuing its own interest,” they said. “Yoon is exhibiting over-the-top behavior by emphasizing a moral perspective in diplomacy and unnecessarily declaring himself a ‘freedom fighter.’”

Park Byung-hwan, director of the Eurasia Strategy Research Institute, said, “Russia will think South Korea is blatantly siding with Ukraine,” adding, “Although he calls himself ‘Korea’s No. 1 salesperson,’ Yoon has no interest in the suffering endured by South Korean companies and South Koreans currently in Russia. Companies in Russia are complaining that our government is doing nothing [for them].”

Whether the government will directly or indirectly supply lethal weapons as part of its plan to “expand munitions support” is drawing interest as well. A high-ranking official at the presidential office said, “[Ukraine] invited us already knowing we would not directly [supply] lethal weapons,” in an attempt to discourage speculation.

By Kwon Hyuk-chul, staff reporter; Kim Mi-na, staff reporter

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