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🇰🇷 South Korea /Conflict & Security

Ukraine seeks advanced Patriot missiles from South Korea; U.S. suggests indirect support

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • Ukraine has requested Patriot (PAC-3) missile defense systems from South Korea to counter Russian attacks.
  • South Korea has expressed reservations, citing the need for its own defense readiness, but is considering alternatives like the indigenous Cheongung-II missile.
  • Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence suggested a workaround, proposing that South Korea provide missiles to the U.S. for transfer to Ukraine.

Ukraine, facing a shortage of air defense weapons amid its prolonged conflict with Russia, has reportedly asked South Korea for support in the form of Patriot (PAC-3) missile defense systems. Oleksandr Kamyshin, Ukraine's advisor on strategic industries, met with officials from South Korea's Ministry of National Defense and Defense Acquisition Program Administration in early November, where he made the request for the advanced PAC-3 interceptors.

The PAC-3 system is known for its capability to intercept ballistic missiles, including Russia's Iskander-M, with an effective altitude of up to 40 kilometers. This request follows a similar appeal made by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba during his visit to South Korea in late June, when he asked for air defense system support.

South Korea has very sophisticated interceptor missiles.

— Mike PenceFormer U.S. Vice President Mike Pence highlighted South Korea's advanced missile capabilities during a visit to Ukraine.

However, the South Korean government has reportedly shown reluctance to fulfill the request directly, citing the necessity of maintaining its own defense capabilities, particularly in light of potential threats to the Korean Peninsula. As an alternative, Seoul is reportedly considering providing its domestically developed Cheongung-II surface-to-air missile system.

Meanwhile, former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, during a visit to Kyiv, suggested that Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had appealed to the United States for 5% of its Patriot missile stock. Pence also highlighted South Korea's possession of sophisticated interceptor missiles and proposed a potential indirect support channel, stating that South Korea has "very sophisticated interceptor missiles." He indicated that there had been exchanges between Zelenskyy and South Korea that week, hinting at a possible U.S.-mediated transfer of South Korean-supplied missiles to Ukraine.

President Zelenskyy asked the United States to provide just 5% of the Patriot stockpile, believing it would be enough to get through the winter.

— Mike PenceFormer U.S. Vice President Mike Pence stated that Ukrainian President Zelenskyy had requested a portion of the U.S. Patriot missile inventory.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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