South Korea has reached an agreement to lend the US 500,000 155mm artillery shells, which will give Washington more flexibility in supplying ammunition to Ukraine, a South Korean newspaper reported today.

DongA Ilbo notes, citing unnamed government sources, that South Korea decided to “lend” the munitions instead of selling them, to minimize the possibility of South Korean missiles being used in the conflict in Ukraine.

President Yun Suk-yeol has said that South Korea’s law, which prohibits the supply of weapons to countries at war, makes it difficult to send weapons to Ukraine.

According to the South Korean newspaper, these missiles will primarily be used by the US to pay for its stockpiles.

Having bought 100,000 such missiles last year, the US government asked to buy the same amount or more in February, but the South Korean government sought another way to procure the ammunition.

“We have chosen to significantly increase the volume of missiles, but to follow the lend method, after considering how to meet the request of our very close bona fide ally while remaining committed to the government’s principle of not providing lethal weapons to Ukraine,” he said. one of the sources he cites.

Seoul and Washington have confirmed they were negotiating a deal to supply artillery ammunition, but there has been no official word on whether it has been finalized. The newspaper adds that the agreement was reached last month.

South Korea’s defense ministry said the allies were considering ways to support Ukraine, but declined to confirm specific discussions.

The US State Department has not yet commented on the matter.

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin also told reporters that he could not confirm the newspaper’s report, but added that the government’s position against providing lethal aid to Ukraine remains the same.

The newspaper publishes the information after the leak of top-secret US military documents, which highlight South Korea’s difficulties in dealing with pressure from Western allies to help supply military aid to Ukraine.

South Korea is a key US ally and a major producer of artillery munitions, but seeks to avoid competition with Russia because of economic ties and its influence over North Korea.

“He was fighting the US request”

President Yun, who is visiting Washington this month for a summit with US President Joe Biden, has said Seoul has not provided Ukraine with lethal weapons, but is instead extending humanitarian aid.

South Korea’s aid to Ukraine is among classified documents leaked online this year and seen by news outlets over the past week.

According to the documents, top South Korean presidential officials were concerned about a plan to sell missiles to Washington, saying they could be diverted and found in Ukraine, despite Seoul’s position that the US military should be the “end user”.

A leaked document marked “Top Secret” seen by Reuters notes that Seoul has since early March “struggled with a US request to supply artillery ammunition to Ukraine”.

Former national security adviser Kim Sung-han “suggested the possibility of selling 330,000 155mm shells to Poland, as getting the ammunition to Ukraine quickly was the ultimate US goal,” according to it.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the authenticity of these documents. US officials have said some appear to have been tampered with.

Seoul and Washington are scrambling to contain the spill, amid suspicions that the US may have been spying on South Korea, one of its most important allies.

Speaking at a parliamentary session, Foreign Minister Park noted that unauthorized surveillance would be considered “problematic” but declined to comment when asked if the US had confirmed to South Korea that there was no spying on its presidential office.

Park also said he first learned of the suspected leak of classified US documents over the weekend after media reports.