Ukraine’s First Lady asks South Korea for non-lethal military aid

SEOUL - Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska met South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol as a special presidential envoy, said South Korea’s presidential office on Tuesday.

Ms Zelenska, the wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, is visiting South Korea to participate in a media conference.

Ms Zelenska, meeting Mr 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, Mr Yoon’s spokesman Lee Do-woon told a briefing.

Mr Yoon said South Korea would actively help the Ukrainian people, Mr Lee said.

In an interview with South Korea’s Yonhap news agency published on Tuesday, Ms Zelenska expressed willingness to invite Mr Yoon to her country, saying such a visit would be “very supportive” to Ukrainians.

She also warned against the risk of war fatigue and called for “more radical” support for Ukraine to fight against Russia’s 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 Mr Yoon said in an interview with Reuters in April that 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”. REUTERS