South Korea–Ukraine relations are foreign relations between

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

and

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. Diplomatic Relations were established on February 10, 1992. South Korea has an embassy in

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

. Ukraine has an embassy in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

Political relations

Ukraine declared its independence on August 24, 1991, with the

Dissolution of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...

, On December 30, 1991, the South Korean government recognized Ukraine as a sovereign state. South Korea and Ukraine established diplomatic relations on February 10, 1992. On July 31, 1992, the government of the Republic of Korea established the Embassy of South Korea in Ukraine in

, In October 1997, the Ukrainian government established the Embassy of Ukraine in South Korea in

. Since then, the Republic of Korea and Ukraine have maintained friendly relations, with reciprocal visits by high-ranking officials from both countries. On February 24, 2022, South Korea's

Blue House Cheong Wa Dae (), also known as the Blue House in English, is a public park that was the former Office of the President of South Korea, executive office and residence of the president of South Korea. Located in Seoul's Jongno District, directl ...

held a

National Security Council A national security council (NSC) is usually an executive branch governmental body responsible for coordinating policy on national security issues and advising chief executives on matters related to national security. An NSC is often headed by a n ...

chaired by

Suh Hoon Suh Hoon (; born 1954) is a South Korean government official who served as the Director of National Security Office from 2020 to 2022 and previously as the director of the National Intelligence Service from 2017 to 2020. Overview In 1980, he s ...

, then director of South Korea's Office of National Security, to discuss measures regarding the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

Moon Jae-in Moon Jae-in (, ; born January 24, 1953) is a South Korean politician and former lawyer who served as the 12th president of South Korea from 2017 to 2022. Before his presidency, he served as the senior secretary for civil affairs and the Chief ...

, President of the Republic of Korea, said, "Russia's invasion of Ukraine cannot be justified under any circumstances. South Korea will work for a peaceful resolution of the situation, such as economic sanctions against Russia." The

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

also issued a spokesperson statement, saying, "We strongly condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which constitutes an act in violation of the

Charter of the United Nations The Charter of the United Nations is the foundational treaty of the United Nations (UN). It establishes the purposes, governing structure, and overall framework of the UN system, including its six principal organs: the Secretariat, the G ...

. " and joins the international community's economic sanctions against Russia. The Ministry of Economy and Finance announced that it will impose sanctions on

Sberbank The Public JSC Sberbank (, initially a contraction of ) is a Russian majority state-owned banking and financial services company headquartered in Moscow. As the Russian successor entity of the State Labor Savings Banks System of the USSR, it was ...

and the six largest Russian banks (VEB. RF, Sberbank (PSB),

VTB Bank VTB Bank (; formerly known as ''Vneshtorgbank'', , lit. 'International Trade Bank') is a Russian majority state-owned bank headquartered in various federal districts of Russia; its legal address is registered as St. Petersburg. As of 2022, ...

, Otkritie, Sovcom, and Novikom). The Financial Services Commission said it would also suspend transactions with

Rossiya Bank The Rossiya Bank (Bank Rossiya (), in Russian: Акционерный коммерческий банк Россия, АКБ Россия) is a Russian joint stock bank founded on June 27, 1990. The company's headquarters are in Saint Petersburg ...

as of March 7, 2022. Since the start of the

Russo-Ukrainian war The Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia Russian occupation of Crimea, occupied and Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, annexed Crimea from Ukraine. It then ...

, the South Korean government has stated that Ukraine's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity must be respected. Therefore, it does not recognize the Russian annexation of

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

in 2014, the independence of the pro-Russian separatist republics in the

Donbas The Donbas (, ; ) or Donbass ( ) is a historical, cultural, and economic region in eastern Ukraine. The majority of the Donbas is occupied by Russia as a result of the Russo-Ukrainian War. The word ''Donbas'' is a portmanteau formed fr ...

( DPR and

LPR LPR may refer to: *Laryngopharyngeal reflux, a form of acid reflux *Lawful permanent resident * Lazarus Program file * Libertarian Party of Russia *License plate recognition * Liga Puerto Rico, top division association football league in Puerto Ric ...

), nor the Russian annexation of four

Ukrainian oblasts An oblast (, ; ), sometimes translated as region or province, is the main type of first-level administrative division of Ukraine. The country's territory is divided into 24 oblasts, as well as one autonomous republic and two cities with special ...

(

Donetsk Donetsk ( , ; ; ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin, and Stalino, is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine located on the Kalmius River in Donetsk Oblast, which is currently occupied by Russia as the capita ...

Kherson Kherson (Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and , , ) is a port city in southern Ukraine that serves as the administrative centre of Kherson Oblast. Located by the Black Sea and on the Dnieper, Dnieper River, Kherson is the home to a major ship-bui ...

Luhansk Luhansk (, ; , ), also known as Lugansk (, ; , ), is a city in the Donbas in eastern Ukraine. As of 2022, the population was estimated to be making Luhansk the Cities in Ukraine, 12th-largest city in Ukraine. Luhansk served as the administra ...

, and

Zaporizhzhia Zaporizhzhia, formerly known as Aleksandrovsk or Oleksandrivsk until 1921, is a city in southeast Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. It is the Capital city, administrative centre of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Zaporizhzhia ...

) on September 2022.

Travel

The Ukrainian government provides visa-free entry for up to 90 days within a 180-day period, for South Korean nationals with a South Korean passport. However, on February 13, 2022, the South Korean government designated Ukraine as a travel ban country due to escalating military tensions with Russia. Ukrainian citizens with Ukrainian passports must apply for a visa to enter South Korea. However, if they hold a diplomatic or tolerance passport, they can enter South Korea without a visa and stay for up to 90 days.

Trade relations

Since 1998, Korean exports to Ukraine have generally grown each year, except for a decline in 1999. However, due to the

2008 financial crisis The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...

, there was a significant 76.0% drop in 2009. Following that, Korean exports to Ukraine experienced steady growth, but starting in 2013, the country's exports declined sharply as the Ukrainian economy faced challenges from the

Revolution of Dignity The Revolution of Dignity (), also known as the Maidan Revolution or the Ukrainian Revolution, took place in Ukraine in February 2014 at the end of the Euromaidan protests, when deadly clashes between protesters and state forces in the capit ...

and the civil war in the eastern region. As of October 2019, South Korea's total investment in Ukraine amounted to $37 million (78 deals), mainly focused on

car A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one billio ...

mobile computing Mobile computing is human–computer interaction in which a computer is expected to be transported during normal usage and allow for transmission of data, which can include voice and video transmissions. Mobile computing involves mobile commun ...

, and

home appliance A home appliance, also referred to as a domestic appliance, an electric appliance or a household appliance, is a machine which assists in household functions such as cooking, cleaning and food preservation. The domestic application attached to ...

sales. In 2019, over 20 Korean companies, including

Samsung Electronics Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (SEC; stylized as SΛMSUNG; ) is a South Korean multinational major appliance and consumer electronics corporation founded on 13 January 1969 and headquartered in Yeongtong District, Suwon, South Korea. It is curr ...

LG Electronics LG Electronics Inc. () is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational major appliance and consumer electronics corporation headquartered in Yeouido-dong, Seoul, South Korea. LG Electronics is a part of LG, LG Corporation, the fourth ...

Hyundai Motor Company Hyundai Motor Company, often referred to as Hyundai Motors, ( ) and commonly known as Hyundai (), is a South Korean multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, which ...

Hyundai Rotem Hyundai Rotem Company, often referred to as Hyundai Rotem (), is a South Korean manufacturer of railway rolling stock, railway signalling, defense products and plant equipment. It is a member of Hyundai Motor Group and has presence in more than ...

, Youngsan Corporation,

POSCO POSCO (formerly Pohang Iron and Steel Company) is a South Korean steel manufacturer headquartered in Pohang, South Korea. It had an output of of crude steel in 2015, making it the List of steel producers, world's sixth-largest steelmaker by thi ...

, Ecovice, OSSTEM and

Hankook Hankook Tire & Technology Co., Ltd. (), also known simply as Hankook ( , ), is a South Korean tire company based in Seoul. It is the seventh-largest tire company in the world. It is a part of Hankook & Company. History Hankook Tire was establis ...

, were operating within Ukraine. According to the

MIT Media Lab The MIT Media Lab is a research laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, growing out of MIT's Architecture Machine Group in the MIT School of Architecture and Planning, School of Architecture. Its research does not restrict to fi ...

Economic Complexity Observatory, South Korea's exports to Ukraine were valued at $479 million in 2020, mainly manufactured goods such as automobiles and various machinery. On the other hand, Ukraine exported $382 million to South Korea, mainly

corn Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

, and other food crops.

Culture relations

Television

Since 2008, when

Ukraine (TV channel) Ukraina (; officially TRC Ukraina, ) was a national Ukrainian-language TV channel, owned by Media Group Ukraine. It began broadcasting as a regional, Donetsk TV channel on March 13, 1993, with getting a national status in 2004. It ceased broadca ...

aired " 슬픈연가," " 대장금," " 다모," and " 태양의 여자" to high ratings, interest in Korean dramas has steadily grown, and in 2017, five Korean dramas were imported and remade into local formats by major Ukrainian broadcasters, achieving the highest ratings of their time.

Movies

With the spread of the

Korean Wave The Korean Wave, or ''hallyu'' (; ), is a cultural phenomenon in which the global popularity of South Korean popular culture has dramatically risen since the 1990s. Worldwide interest in Korean culture has been led primarily by the spread of K-p ...

in Ukraine, interest in

Cinema of Korea The cinema of Korea encompasses the film industries of North Korea and South Korea, as well as the historical film industries of Korea as the kingdom of Joseon and under Korea under Japanese rule, Japanese occupation. While both countries have re ...

has increased. In 2008,

hosted the first Korean film festival, and in 2016, a film about North Korean defectors was chosen to screen at the Molodist (Kyiv International Documentary Film Festival). This film attracted a lot of attention from Ukrainian media. With the screenings of

Park Chan-wook Park Chan-wook (; born 23 August 1963) is a Koreans, South Korean film director, screenwriter, Film producer, producer, and former film critic. He is considered one of the most prominent filmmakers of Cinema of South Korea, South Korean cinema a ...

's "

The Handmaiden ''The Handmaiden'' () is a 2016 South Korean erotic historical psychological thriller film directed, co-written and co-produced by Park Chan-Wook and starring Kim Min-hee, Kim Tae-ri, Ha Jung-woo and Cho Jin-woong. It is inspired by the 2002 ...

" in 2016 and

Bong Joon-ho Bong Joon Ho (, ; born September 14, 1969) is a South Korean filmmaker. Bong Joon Ho filmography, His work is characterized by emphasis on social and class themes, genre fiction, genre-mixing, black comedy, dark comedy, and sudden tone shifts. ...

's "

Parasite Parasitism is a Symbiosis, close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives (at least some of the time) on or inside another organism, the Host (biology), host, causing it some harm, and is Adaptation, adapted str ...

" as the

Odesa International Film Festival The Odesa International Film Festival () is an annual film festival held in the middle of July in Odesa. Since 2016 the festival program has consisted of three parts: the International competition, National competition and European Documentary ...

's opening film in 2019, South Korean cinema is growing in popularity in Ukraine.

Korean language

Korean language departments were established in 1998 at

Kyiv National Linguistic University Kyiv National Linguistic University () is a public university located in Kyiv, Ukraine. It was founded in 1948 as Kyiv State Pedagogical Institute of Foreign Languages. Kyiv National Linguistic University was ranked the fourth best Ukrainian un ...

and

Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv The Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (; also known as Kyiv University, Shevchenko University, or KNU) is a public university in Kyiv, Ukraine. The university is the third-oldest university in Ukraine after the University of Lviv and ...

. A Korea Education Institution, which is crucial to the growth and spread of Korean language instruction in

, was established in

in March 2017. In September 2018, the University of Customs and Finance in Ukraine's industrial hub of

Dnipro Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...

also established a Korean language department. Every year, there are more Korean majors and trainees. The Korea Education Institution, founded in 2017, had about 200 students in its first year and doubled to about 400 in 2019.

Korean cuisine

Over 30,000

Koryo-saram Koryo-saram (; ) or Koryoin () are ethnic Koreans of the post-Soviet states, former Soviet Union, who descend from Koreans that were living in the Russian Far East. Koreans first began settling in the Russian Far East in the late 19th century. ...

reside in Ukraine, so there is a portion of the population that is familiar with some

Korean cuisine Korean cuisine is the set of foods and culinary styles which are associated with Korean culture. This cuisine has evolved through centuries of social and political change. Originating from ancient Prehistoric Korea, agricultural and nomad ...

. The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Ukraine organized a successful 'Taste of Korea' event in 2017, and in 2018, the embassy made efforts to promote Korean cuisine, including a presentation of Korean cuisine at a cultural event commemorating the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics.

People-to-people relations

Koryo-saram Koryo-saram (; ) or Koryoin () are ethnic Koreans of the post-Soviet states, former Soviet Union, who descend from Koreans that were living in the Russian Far East. Koreans first began settling in the Russian Far East in the late 19th century. ...

A larger migration started in the 1980s when

from

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

started moving to

for seasonal agricultural work. Koryo-saram first arrived in Ukraine in the 1950s to study abroad and work, but the migration really took off in those years. The Koryo-saram population was 12,711 in 2001, per a census survey in Ukraine. ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs projects that there will be about 30,000 Koryo-saram as of 2019, including unregistered or stateless Koryo-saram, according to their estimates. The Koryo-saram organization has put the number at 15,631.

Expatriates

As of January 2020, there were approximately 612 people in

according to the Ukrainian Immigration Office (based on those staying for 3 months or longer). This includes 41 permanent residents, about 110 individuals involved in local offices and personal businesses, around 128 missionaries, about 179 international students, 97 people in Ukrainian and foreign records, and 57 people working in government agencies (such as embassies and KOTRA). On February 8, 2022, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that there are 354 people from Korea residing in Ukraine. The Ministry also noted that the number of expatriates has been decreasing.

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Before invasion

On 25 January 2022 (Tuesday), the

decided to upgrade the travel advisory for 12 provinces in southeastern

to Level 3 (travel recommendation) as part of strengthening safety measures for South Korean citizens. Travel advisories at Level 3 (travel recommendation) were already applied to

and

within Ukraine, but were later expanded to 15

oblasts of Ukraine An oblast (, ; ), sometimes translated as region or province, is the main type of first-level administrative divisions of Ukraine, administrative division of Ukraine. The country's territory is divided into 24 oblasts, as well as one Autonomous ...

(Crimea,

Volyn Volhynia or Volynia ( ; see below) is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between southeastern Poland, southwestern Belarus, and northwestern Ukraine. The borders of the region are not clearly defined, but in Ukraine it is roughly ...

Rivne Rivne ( ; , ) is a city in western Ukraine. The city is the administrative center of Rivne Oblast (province), as well as the Rivne Raion (district) within the oblast.

Zhytomyr Zhytomyr ( ; see #Names, below for other names) is a city in the north of the western half of Ukraine. It is the Capital city, administrative center of Zhytomyr Oblast (Oblast, province), as well as the administrative center of the surrounding ...

Chernihiv Chernihiv (, ; , ) is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast and Chernihiv Raion within the oblast. Chernihiv's population is The city was designated as a Hero City of Ukraine ...

Sumy Sumy (, , ) is a city in northeastern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Sumy Oblast. The city is situated on the banks of the Psel (river), Psel River and has a population of making it the 23rd-largest in the country. The city ...

Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

Dnipropetrovsk Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...

Zaporizhia Zaporizhzhia, formerly known as Aleksandrovsk or Oleksandrivsk until 1921, is a city in southeast Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper River. It is the administrative centre of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Zaporizhzhia has a population of ...

Odesa Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...

, and

Mykolaiv Mykolaiv ( ), also known as Nikolaev ( ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city and a hromada (municipality) in southern Ukraine. Mykolaiv is the Administrative centre, administrative center of Mykolaiv Raion (Raions of Ukraine, district) and Myk ...

). The South Korean Embassy in Ukraine contacted South Korean expatriates residing in Ukraine to check on their safety status and re-examine emergency communication networks. In addition, the embassy secured water and emergency food supplies in cooperation with the embassies of other countries, and updated evacuation and support plans for expatriates in case of an emergency. On February 13, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (South Korea) decided to urgently issue a travel alert level 4 (travel ban) for all regions of Ukraine. On February 22, the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs released an official statement.

After invasion

On February 24, the

released an official statement condemning the invasion of Ukraine. The Republic of Korea Embassy in Ukraine noted that beginning on March 8, Korea sent emergency medical supplies to Ukraine as part of their $10 million in humanitarian assistance commitment. Ukrainian president

Volodymyr Zelenskyy Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...

thanked

on March 3 via a telephone conversation. ROK Embassy in Ukraine published an article about a phone conversation between

Chung Eui-yong Chung Eui-yong (; born April 14, 1946) is a South Korean diplomat and a politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2021 to 2022. Chung was previously President Moon Jae-in's first Director of National Security from 2017 to 2020. ...

, the Korean minister of foreign affairs, and

Dmytro Kuleba Dmytro Ivanovych Kuleba ( ; born 19 April 1981) is a Ukrainian politician and diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs. He was concurrently a member of the National Defense and Security Council of Ukraine. The youngest foreign affai ...

, the Ukrainian minister of foreign affairs, on April 15. Minister Chung explained the support provided by Korea and its future plans. Minister Kuleba expressed gratitude for Korea's solidarity and support, and both sides agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation. ROK Embassy in Ukraine reported that the Korean government sent approximately 20 tons of additional humanitarian aid to Ukraine on April 19. The aid is intended to provide assistance to the Ukrainian people and refugees who are experiencing severe crisis as a result of Russia's continued invasion. The Korean government is collaborating closely with the Ukrainian embassy in Korea to determine the specifics of the aid, and is prioritizing Ukraine's requests in selecting items. The Korean government hopes that this aid will help alleviate the suffering of the Ukrainian people and refugees, and has expressed its willingness to provide further assistance if necessary. On April 18, 2023,

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

reported that South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol had said South Korea might extend its support for Ukraine if the country comes under large-scale civilian attack. This marked the first indication that Seoul might be willing to provide weapons to Ukraine. President Yoon explained that while considering South Korea's relationship with the parties engaged in the war and the developments in the battlefield, they will take the most appropriate measures. In May 2023, during the

Asian Leadership Conference The Asian Leadership Conference (ALC) is an annual international conference hosted in Seoul, South Korea, by ''The Chosun Ilbo'', a major Korean daily newspaper. The inaugural conference was in March 2005. The conference addresses important issue ...

both the Government of Ukraine and the Republic of Korea signed an agreement for loans from the Economic Development Cooperation Fund, a division of the

Export–Import Bank of Korea The Export–Import Bank of Korea, also commonly known as the Korea Eximbank (KEXIM), is the official export credit agency of South Korea.

. The loan included US$300 million within 3-4 months and additional funds in 2024, with gradually increasing amounts as projects are completed in Ukraine. During the visit, first deputy prime minister and

minister of economy A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

Yulia Svyrydenko Yulia Anatoliivna Svyrydenko (, ; born 25 December 1985) is a Ukrainian politician currently serving as First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine and simultaneously Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine since November 4, 2021.

, met with representatives from various Korean businesses, including

Hyundai Motors Hyundai Motor Company, often referred to as Hyundai Motors, ( ) and commonly known as Hyundai (), is a South Korean multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, which was founded in 1967. Currently, the company ow ...

, the latter of which they discussed the possibility of building electric vehicle manufacturing plants in Ukraine. On June 22, 2023, South Korea's Government Policy Coordination Minister, Bang Moon-kyu, attended a conference in London focused on Ukraine's post-war recovery, pledging an additional $130 million in aid this year on top of last year's $100 million contribution. The conference convened officials from 61 countries, leaders of 33 international organizations, and approximately 400 companies to discuss support for Ukraine's reconstruction following Russia's invasion, with a strong emphasis on the private sector's role in the recovery.

Dispute

Despite ROK government's effort to

, there are some concerns that the ROK does not truly support Ukraine. Korea has promised $100 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, but has not offered to supply any weapons. A representative for the ROK Ministry of National Defense said that the nation is not planning to offer direct military assistance. Nevertheless, South Korea negotiated one of its biggest ever arms deals—a multibillion dollar one—with

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

in August to deliver tanks and

howitzers The howitzer () is an artillery weapon that falls between a cannon (or field gun) and a mortar. It is capable of both low angle fire like a field gun and high angle fire like a mortar, given the distinction between low and high angle fire break ...

. Poland has been one of the main military suppliers to Ukraine. South Korea has also taken action to help the Ukrainian people and their refugees. South Korea sent $100 million in help to Ukraine during the first several months of the conflict, including supplies for children's immunizations, emergency medical supplies, and electrical generators. Rather than sending weapons directly to Ukraine, South Korea has given the go-ahead for the export of weapons or parts of weapons that are not entirely Korean in origin but do contain South Korean components. Additionally, it has reportedly agreed to sell more ammunition to Washington and has sold ammunition to the US for transfer to Ukraine. Leaked US documents reveal a conversation between President Yoon's foreign affairs secretary, Yi Mun-hui, and the former National Security Advisor, Kim Sung-han, raising concerns about the destination of ammunition. They feared that the US might not be the intended recipient, and were also worried about a potential call from

President Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice president from 2009 to 2017 and re ...

to President Yoon regarding the issue. Changing South Korea's weapons policy towards Ukraine could be seen as yielding to US pressure. In light of this, Mr. Kim suggested exploring the possibility of selling shells to Poland instead, as the speedy delivery of ammunition to Ukraine remained the United States' primary objective.

Supply of weapons components

Following the

, Ukraine asked South Korea for aid. As noted in October 2022 South Korea had provided Ukraine with some resources, but refused to supply lethal weaponry. Even until March 2023 the South Korean government refused to supply Ukraine with lethal weaponry because of a decades-old legal prohibition on this practice to any parties involved in conflict. However, as of April 2023, the government would supply weapons components. In an interview on 18 April 2023 South Korean president

Yoon Suk Yeol Yoon Suk Yeol (; born 18 December 1960) is a South Korean politician and former prosecutor who served as the 13th president of South Korea from 2022 until Impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol, he was removed from office in 2025. The shortest-serving ...

said his country "might extend its support for Ukraine beyond humanitarian and economic aid if it comes under a large-scale civilian attack". Said Yoon: "If there is a situation the international community cannot condone, such as any large-scale attack on civilians, massacre or serious violation of the laws of war, it might be difficult for us to insist only on humanitarian or financial support." On 20 June 2024, South Korean National Security Advisor Chang Ho-jin, after the visit to North Korea by Russian President Putin, said his country planned to "reconsider the issue of arms support to Ukraine".

State and official visits

State and official visits to South Korea by Ukraine

State and official visits to Ukraine by South Korea

Status

Trade

Agreement in force (date of entry into force)

Consultative Body

References

External links

Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade about relations with Ukraine

Korean embassy in Kyiv

Ukrainian embassy in Seoul
{{DEFAULTSORT:South Korea-Ukraine relations

Korea, South

Political relations

Travel

Trade relations

Culture relations

Television

Movies

Korean language

Korean cuisine

People-to-people relations

Koryo-saram Koryo-saram (; ) or Koryoin () are ethnic Koreans of the post-Soviet states, former Soviet Union, who descend from Koreans that were living in the Russian Far East. Koreans first began settling in the Russian Far East in the late 19th century. ...

Expatriates

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Before invasion

After invasion

Dispute

Supply of weapons components

State and official visits

State and official visits to South Korea by Ukraine

State and official visits to Ukraine by South Korea

Status

Trade

Agreement in force (date of entry into force)

Consultative Body

See also

References

External links