▲ President Yoon Suk Yeol (L) walks past main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung (R) at the ceremony to mark the 63rd anniversary of the April 19, 1960, pro-democracy uprising by students at the April 19th National Cemetery in Seoul on April 19, 2023. (Yonhap)

DP leader-Yoon-Ukraine

Opposition leader slams Yoon for hinting at military aid to Ukraine

SEOUL, April 19 (Yonhap) -- Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung urged President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday to reconsider his remarks suggesting the conditional possibility of providing non-humanitarian aid to Ukraine, saying the move would seriously hurt the national interest.

Yoon said in an interview with Reuters published earlier in the day that South Korea could provide aid beyond humanitarian or financial support if Ukraine comes under a large-scale attack against civilians, signaling a shift in Seoul's policy of not providing lethal weapons to Ukraine.

"Offering military support to a region in conflict is an act that harms the national interest and we should never do it," Lee told reporters after a party event at the National Assembly. "In diplomacy, nothing is more important than the lives and safety of our people and the national interest."

No previous governments had a foreign policy of creating an adversary, he said.

"I strongly request that the president reconsider this decision that poses a grave threat to the national interest of the Republic of Korea," Lee said.

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