Presidential Office Responds to Yoon's Ukraine Remarks as "Conditional Answer" (Comprehensive Report 2)

On the 19th, the Presidential Office sought to quell controversy by stating that there is no change in its position, describing President Yoon Suk-yeol's remarks suggesting consideration of military support to Ukraine in the event of a large-scale civilian attack as a "conditional response."

A senior official from the Presidential Office said in the afternoon at the Yongsan Presidential Office when asked by a reporter, "How should we interpret President Yoon's Reuters interview remarks today, which left open the possibility of weapons support to Ukraine?" that "just by looking at the response itself, I think it is possible to interpret it without needing to ask further."

According to the Presidential Office, in the interview with Reuters released on the same day ahead of President Yoon's upcoming state visit to the United States next week, he indicated his intention to provide military support by stating, "I believe there is no limit to the scope of support to defend and restore a country illegally invaded under international and domestic law."

In particular, President Yoon said, "If there are situations that the international community cannot tolerate, such as large-scale attacks on civilians, massacres, and serious violations of the laws of war, it may become difficult for us to claim only humanitarian or financial support." South Korea has so far refused weapons support from Ukraine, the United States, and other Western countries, providing only humanitarian aid. He added, "Considering the various relations between the warring parties and our country, as well as the progress of the war, it is simply about taking appropriate measures."

The official said, "I think it should be understood as it is, and the reason President Yoon made this remark is that the international community has a lot of interest in Ukraine," adding, "Recently, even at diplomatic events, foreign dignitaries who meet President Yoon always express their country's position on Ukraine and ask about the President's stance. It is in that context."

As the scale of the fallout grew with the observation that the President had effectively expressed willingness to provide weapons, the Presidential Office clarified that its position had not changed. However, since the Presidential Office and the government have consistently emphasized "not providing lethal weapons," the spread of the controversy seems inevitable.

When a reporter said, "It is expected that there will be a reaction from Russia regarding the remarks on support for Ukraine, and there are concerns that the relationship between Russia and North Korea might become closer," the official avoided commenting, saying, "I will not answer based on assumptions."

Regarding whether the consideration is based on the premise of large-scale civilian attacks or massacres that have already occurred in Ukraine, or if weapons support would be considered if such events occur after today, the official refrained from giving a direct answer, stating, "I think the assessment of the situation is important."

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Regarding President Yoon's remarks in the interview that "we are developing ultra-high-performance weapons to respond to North Korea's threats," when asked by a reporter what kind of weapons he meant, the official said, "In relation to our three-axis system, we have been developing more precise and more powerful counterstrike capabilities, so I think the answer was given in that context," adding, "Regarding reconnaissance, we intend to closely monitor the entire North Korean territory to detect crises in advance and strengthen our response capabilities."

Along with developing ultra-high-performance weapons, President Yoon mentioned, "We are expanding surveillance and reconnaissance assets, and information analysis has become a very important task," adding, "There is extended deterrence, but we are developing and preparing ultra-high-performance, high-power weapons."

In the interview, President Yoon also expressed the need for trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the United States, and Japan to respond to the North Korean nuclear threat. He explained, "Extended deterrence has been extensively discussed between South Korea and the United States, so setting this up and having Japan participate should not be a big problem," adding, "At the same time, since the progress between South Korea and the United States is already advanced, I think it would be more efficient to first establish the system between South Korea and the United States."

President Yoon also emphasized, "If a war involving nuclear weapons between the South and the North breaks out, it would not only be a problem between South and North Korea but would likely turn the entire Northeast Asia into ashes," stressing, "We must prevent that."

Regarding President Yoon's remarks that stronger measures than those of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are necessary, the official explained, "NATO conducts collective defense in its own way, and it is not appropriate to compare us directly with NATO. Since we have security risk factors, it is natural to respond to them," adding, "What was mentioned in the interview is also about strengthening our reconnaissance capabilities and enhancing the three-axis system."

In addition, in the interview, President Yoon emphasized his firm opposition to changing the status quo in the Taiwan Strait by force amid the cross-strait conflict between China and Taiwan and the related international tensions. He stated, "The Taiwan issue is not simply a problem between China and Taiwan; like the issue between South and North Korea, it must be viewed as a global issue beyond the region."

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