SEOUL: The United States envoy to NATO acknowledged that South Korea's recent arms exports to Poland have played a crucial role in addressing NATO's military capabilities gap, which emerged due to the alliance's support for Ukraine in the conflict against Russia. Last year, Poland inked a series of agreements to purchase various South Korean weapons systems, including K-2 main battle tanks, K9 self-propelled howitzers, Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers, and FA-50 light attack aircraft.

Ambassador Julianne Smith, speaking to reporters in Seoul, highlighted the impact of NATO's military support to Ukraine, which has led to shortfalls within NATO capitals. She praised the developing relationship between South Korea and Poland, stating that it has helped mitigate these challenges. Smith emphasized the significance of South Korea's military sales in assisting with NATO's "backfill challenges." Smith, who arrived in Seoul on Wednesday for a three-day visit with counterparts from seven other NATO members, also touched on South Korea's stance on providing lethal arms to Ukraine. She noted that while some NATO members primarily offer humanitarian and economic support to Ukraine, NATO respects each country's sovereign decisions. This statement comes amidst reports that South Korea has indirectly supplied significant amounts of artillery shells to Ukraine. During her visit, Smith also expressed concern over the deepening cooperation between North Korea and Russia, which poses shared security challenge s for NATO and South Korea.