The war in Ukraine is based on two things – drones and artillery. Yes, other types of weapons and modes of attack are very important as well, but howitzers and drones are working hard every day. Ukraine has pretty much switched to the NATO 155 mm standard, but where does ammunition come from?
Polish self-propelled howitzer Krab in the Ukrainian service. One of many 155 mm artillery guns in Ukraine. Image credit: АрміяInform via Wikimedia (CC BY 4.0)
Sadly, due to a long period of virtual peace, European ammunition manufacturers stayed pretty much dormant. Europe is trying to ramp up the production of ammunition, but keeping up with artillery usage in Ukraine is not possible at the moment. The US is the key 155 mm shell supplier to Ukraine, but the second country on that list is actually South Korea.
South Korea spent decades preparing for a potential breakout war with its northern counterpart. South Korea has hundreds of thousands of artillery shells in its stockpiles and they happen to be the desirable 155 mm. This is because South Korea uses the same ammunition standards as NATO countries.
Having these standards in place ensures that in the case of a war allied countries can help each other. Japan, Taiwan and multiple other countries that are not members of NATO rely on the 155 mm artillery. The Washington Post reported that South Korea is a larger supplier of ammunition for the war-ravaged Ukraine than all European countries combined.
Ukraine needs an astonishing number of shells per month. Ukraine frequently fires 6-8 thousand rounds per day and this is low compared to the first year of the war. Ukraine’s demand for artillery shells exceeds the manufacturing capacity of NATO countries. And this is where South Korea can help. Indirectly.
South Korean law prohibits providing weapons to countries at war. Ukraine is obviously a country at war so the help of South Korea has been described as indirect. It is not entirely clear what that means, but there are speculations that the South Korean shells are being brought into the US to replenish the stockpiles after American shells were sent to Ukraine.
In other words, South Korean ammunition is allowing the US to send more shells to Ukraine instead of going directly to the country at war. We’ve already seen a similar deal with the Swiss Leopard 2 tanks – because Switzerland is a neutral country, its weapons cannot go to a country at war, but can be sent to Germany to free up their tanks to fight in Ukraine.
Why is South Korea interested in helping Ukraine? Well, it is interested in having good relations with the US. Also, if Russians are successful in Ukraine, it might encourage North Korea to start something similar. Also, North Korea is supplying weapons and ammunition to Russia – and South Korea is interested in making sure that their resources are reduced.
Written by Povilas M.
Source: Yna.co.kr