The South Korean government last year approved export licenses for Poland to supply Ukraine with Krab howitzers, which are made using South Korean components.
This was reported to the Reuters agency on March 8 by a representative of the Ministry of Defense in Seoul. The comments are the first confirmation that South Korea has officially agreed to supply weapons components to Ukraine, at least indirectly.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) Office of Technical Control has reviewed and approved the transfer of the South Korean-made howitzer chassis, said the director of the Europe-Asia division of the Bureau of International Cooperation Kim Hyun-chol.
"We reviewed all the documentation and possible problems within DAPA, and then decided to issue an export license to Poland," he noted.
The Krab self-propelled howitzer was produced by the Polish company Huta Stalowa Wola. It is a combination of the South Korean K9 Thunder chassis, the British BAE Systems turret, the French Nexter Systems 155 mm gun and the Polish fire control system. After the Russian invasion, Poland sent 18 Krabs to Ukraine in May.
The position of the South Korean government is not to transfer weapons systems to Ukraine. In addition, the country has a law that makes it difficult to directly sell weapons to countries that are in a state of active conflict.
During a visit to Seoul in January, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged South Korea to increase military support for Ukraine, citing other countries that have changed their policy of refusing to supply weapons to countries in conflict.