Leaked docs reveal South Korea 'feared US would divert its shells to Ukraine': Report

As the leaked US war documents revealed explosive information, the South Korean presidential office is planning to raise the issue with America, as per Sky News. Earlier this month, several classified military documents were posted on social media which gave an insight into Ukraine's military strength amid the raging Russia-Ukraine war. A New York Times report on the leaked documents stated that several high-ranking South Korean officials felt pressured by the US to support its supply of weapons to the war-stricken Ukraine. 

According to the New York Times, the documents revealed that some of the officials feared that the shells South Korea agreed to sell to the United States to replenish its stock were eventually diverted to Ukraine. In recent months, the United States and South Korea have been involved in several joint military drills in the Indo-Pacific region. Both countries have been concerned by China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea, and North Korea’s rising aggression in the region. However, the recent document leak has the potential to sour the relations between the two nations. 

South Korea's stand on Ukraine conflict

It is important to note that South Korea has provided Ukraine with several humanitarian assistance ever since the war started in February 2022. However, it is the country’s constitutional laws that prevent it from sending ammunition to a country that is directly involved in a conflict. If the leaked classified documents are to be trusted, then the US indirectly providing South Korean shells to Ukraine in the midst of the raging war will go against the basic principles of the country. According to The New York Times, when reports emerged last year that South Korea has agreed to sell artillery shells to help the United States, they were sending it under the precedence that the “end user” will be the US Military. However, the recent revelations go against what the South Koreans believed when they were selling the shells to the United States. 

The batch of secret Pentagon documents revealed that South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Yi Mun-hui, told his boss, National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han that the government was “mired in concerns that the U.S. would not be the end user if South Korea were to comply with a U.S. request for ammunition,” as per the report by The New York Times.

According to the American news outlet, the report was based on “signals intelligence”. This indicated that the United States has been spying on one of its major allies in Asia. Another interesting fact is both Yi and Kim stepped down from their respective offices last month and there were no clear reasons behind their resignations. In the midst of all the chaos, an official from South Korea’s presidential office did not confirm the details of the leaked documents. However, the anonymous official stated that the South Korean government would review the matter, Sky News reported.