South Korea To Provide US 500,000 Rounds Of Artillery Shells: Report

South Korea has agreed to send the United States 500,000 rounds of 155mm artillery shells, giving Washington additional flexibility in supplying Ukraine with ammunition, according to a South Korean newspaper.

According to unnamed government sources, South Korea decided to “lend” the ammunition rather than sell it in order to reduce the chance of South Korean shells being used in the Ukraine conflict.

South Korea's defence ministry stated that the allies are looking into methods to help Ukraine but declined to confirm specific discussions.

The claim emerged after highly classified US military documents were released, highlighting South Korea's problems in dealing with pressure from Western partners to assist with the transfer of military aid to Ukraine.

South Korea, a key US ally and a significant producer of artillery ammunition, says it cannot deliver lethal weapons to Ukraine because of its own security situation in the face of North Korean nuclear and missile threats.

According to the newspaper, the United States would mostly use the shells to replenish its stockpile.

After purchasing 100,000 such shells last year, the US government requested the same or more in February, but the South Korean government sought another source of ammunition.

“We have decided to significantly increase the volume of shells but use the rental method after considering how to respond to the blood ally's request in good faith while adhering to the governing principle of not providing lethal weapons to Ukraine,” one source said.

The article does not detail how the “rental method” works.

Both Seoul and Washington announced they were negotiating an artillery supply deal, but no official word on whether a deal was reached. According to the newspaper, the arrangement was reached last month.

Foreign Minister Park Jin told reporters that while he couldn't confirm the newspaper allegation, the government's stance against sending lethal help to Ukraine remained unchanged.