The South Korean government is considering joining a NATO initiative called PURL to finance the purchase of American weapons for Ukraine.
Points of attention
- South Korea is contemplating joining NATO's PURL program to support Ukraine by financing the purchase of American weapons.
- Participation in the initiative could enhance defense relations with Europe and facilitate the expansion of South Korea's arms sales to NATO nations.
South Korea plans to participate in the PURL program
If South Korea decides to participate in this initiative, it could deepen defense ties with Europe, at the same time Seoul seeks to expand arms sales to NATO countries.
The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the country "continues negotiations with NATO on various ways to support Ukraine."
A ministry official confirmed that NATO has asked South Korea to join the PURL support mechanism for Ukraine.
He added that Seoul's position on helping the war-torn country focuses on "humanitarian aid and other non-lethal military equipment."
South Korea, which has become one of the main arms exporters in recent years, is seeking to expand its presence in Europe.
Last November, it lost a tender to supply submarines to Poland — one of Seoul’s biggest arms buyers — in a deal worth about 8 trillion won ($6 billion).
The country is currently competing with Germany for Canada's next-generation submarine project, estimated to cost around 60 trillion won ($41 billion).
