Ukraine: South Korean President Mr. Yoon Suk-yeol has made a surprise visit to Ukraine, offering support for the country in its war against Russia.
According to Mr. Yoon’s office, the South Korean President travelled to Ukraine with his wife Ms. Kim Keon-hee following trips to Lithuania for a NATO summit and to Poland. It is his first visit since Russia invaded Ukraine almost 17 months ago.
The President toured Bucha and Irpin, two small cities near Kyiv where bodies of civilians were found in the streets and mass graves after Russian troops retreated from the capital region last year.
“The South Korean leader was scheduled to hold talks with Ukrainian President Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy later in the day,” Mr. Yoon’s senior adviser for press affairs, Mr. Kim Eun-hye, said in a statement.
“The president first toured the Bucha city massacre site near the capital Kyiv and the city of Irpin, where missile attacks were concentrated on civilian residential areas,” Mr. Yoon’s office stated.
“Mr. Yoon will visit a memorial for the war dead to lay a wreath and hold a summit meeting with Mr. Zelenskyy,” the statement added.
South Korea, a United States ally and rising arms exporter, has faced renewed pressure to provide weapons to Ukraine, which Mr. Yoon’s administration has resisted in favour of humanitarian and financial aid, wary of Russia’s influence over North Korea.
Recently, Mr. Yoon commented that his administration was preparing to send demining equipment and ambulances, following a request from Ukraine, and would join NATO’s trust fund for Ukraine.
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