Seoul: Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, met South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday and asked for non-lethal military assistance for her country, South Korea’s presidential office said.
Zelenska, the wife of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, is visiting South Korea to participate in a media conference.
Zelenska, meeting Yoon in the role of a special presidential envoy, told him that she hoped to get support for Ukraine in the form of non-lethal military equipment such as mine detectors, Yoon’s spokesperson, Lee Do-woon, told a briefing.
Yoon said South Korea would actively help the Ukrainian people, Lee said.
In an interview with South Korea’s Yonhap news agency published on Tuesday, Zelenska raised the possibility of Yoon visiting Ukraine, saying a visit would be “very supportive”.
She also called for “more radical” support for Ukraine to fight against Russian aggression.
South Korea, a major producer of artillery shells, has said it was not providing lethal weapons to Ukraine, citing its relations with Russia.
But Yoon said in an interview with Reuters last month his government might not “insist only on humanitarian or financial support” if civilians in Ukraine come under a large-scale attack or due to a “situation the international community cannot condone”.
(Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi, Ju-min ParkEditing by Ed Davies)
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