Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty/Reuters
SEOUL—Pressure over Ukraine is firing up the nuclear debate on the Korean peninsula, and South Korea’s President Yoon Suk travels to Washington, D.C. this week wondering whether to worry more about angering the Russians or deepening his relationship with President Biden.
Amid U.S. pressure on South Korea to take a more assertive position on Ukraine, Yoon sparked a firestorm of controversy by hinting at providing arms for Ukraine. South Korea might go beyond “humanitarian or financial support” for Ukraine, he told Reuters, “if there is a situation the international community cannot condone, such as any large-scale attack on civilians, massacre or serious violation of the laws of war.”
Alarmed by the response, however, South Korean officials walked back that comment, saying Yoon was only referring to a “hypothetical situation.” Earlier, they tried to shrug off the significance of leaked documents revealing that the CIA had listened in on talks in which members of South Korea’s national security council talked about what they hoped would be a secret deal for aiding Ukraine.