"The direct statement of President Yoon Suk-yeol ... about a possible change of the stance of non-supplying lethal weapons to Ukraine, which our government has been keeping, is shocking for our citizens, who survived the most terrible war in the 20th century and value peace above all," a representative of the Democratic Party said, adding that "that is a drastic statement that does not conform to the spirit of the constitution of a country that speaks about efforts to maintain peace in the world."
According to the South Korean law on foreign trade and other legislative acts, foreign exports of arms with a non-economic aim are forbidden, the politician added, urging the government to reaffirm the principle of not delivering lethal weapons to any side in an armed conflict.
Earlier in the day, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol told Reuters news agency that in the event of a situation in Ukraine that "the international community cannot condone," it would be difficult for Seoul to insist on providing only humanitarian or financial support to Kiev. Thus, the president envisaged for the first time the possibility of military assistance to Ukraine.
Considering that the truth about the United States wiretapping the South Korean presidential office has not been revealed yet, the government is acting utterly shamefully, forfeiting the principle of maintaining peace and blindly and unilaterally supporting Washington, the party's representative said.
Earlier in April, US media reported that the Pentagon's classified documents leaked online revealed that US intelligence services had spied on conversations at the South Korean presidential office regarding arms supplies to Ukraine in early March.
On Tuesday, Yoon called the Seoul-Washington alliance strong enough to withstand a possible conflict of interests and other issues.