politics |
[서울=뉴스핌] Lee Yeong-jong, reporter specializing in unification = It was found that the government is struggling with the provision of 500,000 rounds of 155mm shells to the United States. This is because of the ‘Made in KOREA’ mark on shells produced by Poongsan Co., Ltd., a domestic company.
A security source who requested anonymity said on the 22nd, “The South Korean government attached a proviso that ‘the end user is the United States’ in relation to the 155mm shell, but it is unclear whether it can actually be kept.” I know you are doing it,” he said.
[서울=뉴스핌] President Yoon Seok-yeol attends an expanded session of the G7 Summit held at the Grand Prince Hotel, the venue of the G7 summit in Hiroshima on the 21st, and talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. [사진=대통령실] 2023.05.21 photo@newspim.com
The source said, “In the case of Kim Seong-han, who was suddenly sacked at the end of March, he was concerned about this issue and discussed countermeasures with diplomatic and military officials.” I know that the use-related part accounts for a significant portion.” This is because the US side also focused on identifying trends on the Korean side in this regard.
The source said, “The Security Office has even explored a plan to remove the mark that identifies it as a Korean product on the manufacturer Poongsan side.” I understand that I have heard the answer.”
In the case of products that have already been produced, it is known that it is difficult to touch them due to safety issues.
The government’s concern is that Russia, which is keenly aware of whether or not to provide arms support to Ukraine, may threaten or retaliate by citing “physical evidence” of Korean-made artillery shells.
The source explained, “If Korean shells are used, Russia will be able to immediately identify them through unexploded ordnance.”
A police officer inspects the wreckage of a missile that has fallen on a street in Kiev, Ukraine. [사진=로이터] 2022.02.28.
Earlier, at an event held in Moscow last October, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, “If Korea provides weapons to Ukraine, the relationship between Korea and Russia will collapse.”
The US purchased 100,000 rounds of 155mm shells from the South Korean government in November last year, and requested an additional 100,000 rounds of export in February this year.
However, the government has proposed a loan method of 500,000 rounds according to the policy of not providing lethal weapons to Ukraine, and Korea and the US are promoting this.
If the US military first puts its own production and possession of 155mm shells into the Ukraine war, then Korea’s production and supply will be filled with stockpile ammunition.
It is possible to claim that the ownership is in Korea because it is a rental method, but it is a judgment inside and outside the government that it is practically difficult to force or regulate it even if the US military uses it for the Ukraine war.
| A 155mm shell produced by Poongsan Metal and used by the South Korean military. [사진=육군 제공] 2023.05.22 |
A reserve general who served as an artillery deputy commander said, “Especially in the case of the WRSA-K shells stockpiled by the USFK in the 1970s and provided to South Korea in 2008, they are ‘American-made’, so the US side will feel less burden in using them in the Ukraine war.” that,” he said.
The military authorities expect that the provision of shells will provide significant practical benefits in terms of stockpile management and defense industry exports.
This is because it is a method of giving old shells that have been in storage for decades, including war satan, to the US side and returning them as new products produced by Korean companies.
However, the presidential office and the government are worried that Putin may provoke Russia to impose sanctions on South Korea or retaliate by providing cutting-edge weapons to North Korea.
The fact that President Yoon Seok-yeol’s position of “no lethal weapon support”, which he repeatedly stated during the G7 summit, may fade is also a point that raises the government’s concerns.
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2023-05-22 01:17:00
