South Korea Announces $2.3B in Aid to Ukraine

Facts

• South Korean Pres. Yoon Suk Yeol announced $2.3B in additional aid for war-ravaged Ukraine during the G20 summit in New Delhi on Sunday.¹
• The aid will reportedly assist in restoring peace in Ukraine and lay the foundation for Seoul's, 'full-fledged participation in Ukraine's future reconstruction.'²
• Yoon said that about $300M worth of short-term aid will be provided to Kyiv in 2024 through humanitarian grants and other support via international financial institutions, including the World Bank.³
• The $2B long-term, low-interest loan package will be given to Ukraine for post-war reconstruction through the country's Economic Development Cooperation Fund beginning in 2025.⁴
• This comes after Yoon in July announced $150M in humanitarian aid to Kyiv for 2023 — up from $100M last year — during his first visit since Russia invaded Ukraine.⁵
• According to a Wall Street Journal report published in May, South Korea is currently transferring hundreds of thousands of artillery shells to Ukraine through the US under a secret pact.⁶

Sources: ¹The kyiv independent, ²Ukrinform, ³Koreatimes, ⁴Koreajoongangdaily, ⁵PBS NewsHour and ⁶Wall Street Journal.

Narratives

• Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by Voa. The West says it wants peace, yet it continues secretly supplying weapons to Ukraine during the ongoing counteroffensive. This so-called 'aid' (intended for the country to rebuild itself at a time when the conflict isn't concluded) is hypocrisy at its best, especially under Yoon, whose nation's foreign policy bans the export of arms to a nation at war.
• Anti-Russia narrative, as provided by Yonhap news agency. Current support for Ukraine is designed to help the nation — under Zelenskyy's leadership — protect its territory, sovereignty, and democracy. South Korea's pledges align with Seoul's commitment to play a pivotal role in the international community and safeguard the global order.

Predictions