South Korea Not Supplying Kiev With Arms For Stability In Relation With Russia

South Korea is not supplying Ukraine with weapons for the sake of stability in relations with Russia, the Yonhap news agency reported on Thursday, citing an official with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's office.

"There is no law in South Korean legislation that prohibits the delivery of weapons to another belligerent country. There is also no clause in the (South Korean) Foreign Ministry's regulations that does not allow to provide military assistance to a third country in distress. We do not do this because, while South Korea actively supports the international community for the sake of protecting the freedom of Ukrainian citizens, we must manage relations with Russia in a stable manner," the official told the media.

Earlier in the day, Yonhap reported, citing a senior presidential official, that any Seoul's decision on deliveries of lethal arms to Ukraine would depend on Moscow.

"The president's words were a common sense and principled response ... The Russian authorities are commenting on something that isn't happening, but we can think of it in reverse, that what we do in the future will depend on Russia," the official said.