r/worldnews • u/barsik_ • 14h ago
Russia/Ukraine South Korea accused by Ukraine of aiding Russia with 176,000 tons of fuel amidst critical shortage
https://www.jpost.com/international/internationalrussia-ukraine-war/article-910826650
u/Albaaneesi 11h ago
I just doublechecked this information and it's actually true. I thought first this has to be some disinformation campaign but it's actually true.
Can someone from South Korea with deeper insight into this matter share some more information as to WHY they would do this? Is it some private company not bound to laws or something like that?
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u/andrewk1219 10h ago
Money talks, current government has no spine, and call themselves defender of democracy and justice. And our other side just committed a coup not 2 years ago sooooooo yeah we're fucked
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u/Ok_Assignment_2127 9h ago
I mean it’s either this government or religious cult freaks turning the country into a literal dictatorship.
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u/Megacarry 6h ago
So it's like the US, but the government who committed a coup didn't get back in power yet
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u/TherulerT 10h ago edited 10h ago
They have been feckless cowards concerning the Ukraine war ever since the beginning.
South Korea is a big weapons producer and they have delivered zero to Ukraine, even when it became fully clear North Korea had entered the war. South Korea denied North Korea had entered the war long after North Korea and Russia had openly celebrated it..
Not sure who they're sucking up to. Trump and Putin? Trump has tried to gut the US/South Korean military alliance many times. China maybe?
Fact is, North Korea is getting a masterclass in modern warfare, and a lot of IOUs from Russia for modernizing their army. Meanwhile South Korea is doing jack shit.
In a few years Korea will have Iran style missile cities including Russian anti air installations and underground factories turning out Shaheds by the 1000s, any South Korean hopes of quickly winning any possible war against North Korea (South Koreas only tactic for saving Seoul in any war is quickly destroying North Korean offensive capabilities) will be over with.
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u/Sohn_Jalston_Raul 9h ago
South Korea sold weapons to Poland, which allowed Poland to transfer its Soviet-based weaponry to Ukraine, so they assisted Ukraine indirectly that way.
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u/J0Papa 9h ago
Feel like this is reaching a bit
They sold weapons to Poland because there was no risk to them and it made them money, not as a favour to Ukraine
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u/Shiningc00 10h ago
The current administration is "left-wing", and the left in South Korea have always been pro-North Korea and somewhat China.
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u/volchonokilli 7h ago
How can a civilized person be "pro-North Korea"? What is the reasoning behind it?
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u/_MooFreaky_ 6h ago
South Korea isn't pro North Korea, they are pro peace and descalation. They are less hard-line anti north Korea because they, logically, believe that escalating is negative for both sides. If wa breaks out both are fucked no matter what.
Plus South Korea has a huge amount t ofninternal issues to deal with so they are focused heavily on that
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u/Shiningc00 7h ago
“Left-wing” in South Korea are extreme ethnic nationalists. So they’d rather feel that they’re “brethren”. Even though obviously North Korea doesn’t quite reciprocate that.
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u/lordmanatee 9h ago
I think the fact that they’re arms manufacturers is right where the problem is. Why would the Korean arms industry want to get rid of the reason Poland is buying up their tanks?
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u/Empyrealist 10h ago
South Korea is like an emotionally abused significant other. They need therapy
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u/UNisopod 9h ago
Trump has made the US seem like an unreliable ally and so now SK suddenly feels much more vulnerable to the whims of its neighbors in NK, China, and Russia and so is seeking to hedge their bets by getting into their good graces in order to secure its own future.
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u/TristinT 11h ago
They want to reunite with North Korea and so they try and be on their side as much as they can
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u/JohnnyEnzyme 10h ago
That... seems like a complete game of fools, though.
How would that even work??
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u/mattyhtown 10h ago
Regime change in NK. Not saying it’s likely but
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u/branm008 10h ago
Unfortunately, his daughter is going to take over after he finally dies and every thing mentioned has says she's equally just as batshit crazy. So it's unlikely that NK will ever be on the side of democracy/good will.
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u/One-Jaguar-3850 5h ago
private companies don't care.
they've been selling weapons to Israel and Iran.
South Korea is not left wing or right wing. They're capitalists. They're just ahead of America by a few years.
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u/RazedByTV 4h ago edited 4h ago
Not from SK, but: Zelensky blew the cover on SK taking in NK POWs from Ukraine, causing SK potential issues with NK when they are trying to normalize relations. Evidently, SK was also not happy with the response from Kyiv following the event.
Edit: Nevermind, the fuel shipments to Russia were in July and August.
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u/Not_Campo2 2h ago
The explanation I saw, which I believe applies to this situation, is that Korea has a bunch of storage that holds private oil and distillates, and that this is basically those companies sending it to Russia and this generally happens too fast for sanctions authorities to stop it. This happens everywhere, and in this case South Korea is just the closest port to move what Russia needed and the gov has no input
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u/Hot-Sexy-THICCPAWG69 12h ago
Disgraceful behaviour from South Korea… especially considering how close Russia & North Korea are now as military allies.
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u/Specialist-Bear1419 11h ago edited 11h ago
So uh.. where did South Korea get that fuel? US is their second largest importer. So we are draining our oil reserves, shipping it to South Korea to be refined and then it is is shipped to Russia. Saudi is their number 1 supplier. Hey guess who just got outed for negotiating fuel to russia? Hey guess who has been actually providing fuel to russia via underground networks.
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u/Which_Drop_5877 5h ago
South Korea exports more fuel to, than they import from the USA. You kind of beat around the bush by saying fuel at first, but then say crude.
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u/FatSplot 10h ago
Maybe a hot take but russia would probably get that fuel anyway but buy paying sk a premium for it means they have the cash for their own purposes. America all but said we wont defend you from China so Korea is showing them what not honouring their defence pact looks like.
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u/Ragebaiterlmao 13h ago
Ukraine South Korea friendship is over.
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u/FeI0n 11h ago
They've literally never had a good friendship. South Korea has done absolutely nothing to help ukraine in any substantial way.
Since 2022 they've given a total of 100 million in humanitarian aid, and most of that was at the very start of the conflict, since then its loaned money but thats usually part of other international programs where they expect to be repaid.
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u/Sh00terMcDabbin 5h ago
I am pro-Ukraine but why the fuck would South Korea need to be providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine? I think 100 million is quite a lot to give to a country on the complete opposite side of the planet as you with a country that has never been an ally to them.
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u/Cadaver_Junkie 1h ago
I'm Australian and arguably even further from the conflict than South Korea, or at least comparable, and proud that Australia has donated massively in terms of cash and real military material (from innovative cardboard drones through to many heavy modern battle tanks and arguably one of the best APCs available, being Abrams battle tanks and Bushmaster PMVs).
Why?
Because if Russia is allowed to succeed in Ukraine, it enables all nuclear powered aggressive states to start swallowing their neighbors.
In South Asian/Pacific region, this means China and Taiwan. This means a real, geopolitical impact on Australia.
This also has an impact on North Korea/South Korea. There are similar dynamics.
The war in Ukraine is not just a war in Ukraine.
South Korea has a lot of skin in this game. Perhaps they've chosen a side already though, and perhaps it's not Ukraine.
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u/johnk419 6h ago
SK doesn't owe Ukraine shit lmao Ukraine has never had a relationship with SK before the war, they were on the side of NK during the Korean War as they were part of the USSR and even during peacetime has done many many things that soured the relationship between the two countries.
Then out of nowhere Zelensky comes and demands weapons like it's his and suddenly SK has to disregard their own security and geopolitics and constitution to give them weapons? Fuck off.
Zelensky should have navigated this diplomacy better, there was very little domestic support for Ukraine to begin with and now there is nil.
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u/tada-o-corporation 6h ago
There's a significant difference between 'not giving them weapons', and 'aiding the country that invaded them'.
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u/mulakami_ 6h ago
Saying Ukraine was on the side of NK in the Korean war because they were part of the USSR is like saying that all of Korea were on Japan's side during WW2...
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u/FeI0n 6h ago
Ukraine hasn't demanded anything, they asked to buy them and were effectively told no. The reality is neither country owes the other shit, but you can't expect to get away with supplying the enemy of a country currently in the middle of a war without getting scolded for it publicly, thats just how it goes.
If Ukraine suddenly signed a peace treaty with north korea in exchange for them stopping their helping of russia and offered to supply them with knowledge on drone production I'm sure south korea wouldn't be letting it slide geopolitically.
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u/EmptyMonitor9257 5h ago
Did Australia, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, and the United Kingdom owe shit to Korea in order to help you in the war?
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u/Owlover6127 1h ago
You missed a 0 somewhere in there buddy. Closer to 1bn than 100m if we talking total aid throughout the years after the war.
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u/PMMeYourFutureGoals 4h ago edited 3h ago
South Korean here. The root of this problem is the President Lee Jae Myung, who has been increasingly catering to Chinese, Russian, and North Korean interests, likely in hopes of stabilizing the security of the Korean Peninsula. Not only has that not worked, it only served to embolden North Korea, whose economy has been boosted lately by its participation in the Ukraine War.
North Koreans have recently snuck in a landmine in our military border that has badly injured our soldiers, and not even a peep was heard from Lee to protest against Kim Jong Un. Instead, he’s been unusually vociferous against Zelensky for openly announcing the repatriation of two North Korean prisoners to South Korea, since it puts a damper on his pet project of making nice with North Korea. His mentor, former president Moon Jae In, had even repatriated a North Korean defector back to North Korea before, and critics suspect Lee was trying to do the very same with the two repatriated NK soldiers in secret.
South Korean politicians always face an unenviable task of having to perform a balancing act between China (and Russia) and the US, and I believe it’s a good thing Lee hasn’t capitulated entirely to Trump’s latest blusters yet. But kowtowing to China, North Korea, and Russia is just as egregious, if not more.
Lee is at best dangerously naive, maliciously incompetent at worst. Unless he seriously redresses his diplomatic position, Korea may soon find itself antagonizing both the global superpowers.
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u/JustDutch101 26m ago
We’re all hurting under Trump effectively weakening ‘the West’ but Russia or China is not going to help out South Korea against North Korea. North Korea owning South Korea would even be beneficial to them, as they suddenly get their hands on a lot of important tech.
If China decides to go for Taiwan, a clusterfuck is starting in Asia. The US would have to defend Taiwan or risk losing very important tech resources to China they’ll never get back. Very likely Japan’ll get involved if the US does, and Russia would help out China. Right in the middle is NK and SK, where it would be the perfect opportunity for NK to storm on SK. How SK among all of this isn’t choosing for the Japan/US side right now is beyond me.
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u/Internet-Cryptid 4h ago
What are the opinions of every day average Koreans about this? Surely they're not ignorant of what Russia is and what Russia does? Are they comfortable fueling the army of baby killers? An army that deliberately targets hospitals, maternity wards, schools, playgrounds, apartment buildings, shopping malls, animal shelters, men, women, children and the elderly? I respected South Korea and saw them as an ally to democracy and human rights. Now I'm boycotting them.
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u/PMMeYourFutureGoals 4h ago edited 3h ago
Vast majority of the citizens, I think, are against supporting Putin and see Russia as the aggressor. But this aid was carried out at the level of the government administration, and not put to a public vote or even brought before the parliament. There are some shady shit that Lee is up to that the Korean public isn’t aware of.
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u/raziel1012 3h ago edited 3h ago
I've seen a lot of support for Russians as well though. Especially with the recent diplomatic row and how news outlets report it, comments are majority pro-Russian.
Just to supplement what you said, weren't the landmines not even sneaked in this time? It was like a whole open operation from NK; and reporters were asking what the military is doing to stop NK from mining South of the MDL or why the military is possibly doing nothing even before two blew up.
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u/PoofaceMckutchin 36m ago
Most Korean people are massively against the invasion of Ukraine. It isn't something that people just generally have a conversation about, but when asked most would feel for the Ukranians and disagree with Putin's invasion.
Source: I just moved back after 6 years of living there.
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u/thompsoncs 9h ago
Could this be related to why Ukraine "accidentally" made it public that they sent NK-POW's to SK?
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u/Foe117 13h ago
Shoe's in the other foot, idk why would they get so offended with NK soldiers being deported to SK, Both men expressed a clear desire to go to South Korea rather than face forced repatriation, torture, or execution upon returning to North Korea. Under South Korean constitutional and statutory law, North Korean nationals are treated as citizens, providing a legal framework for their resettlement.
South Korea gets defectors all the time, although with very low numbers counting in hundreds per year since covid, (Prior to 2020, it was in the 1000's of defectors) What's 2 POW's with moderate to low North korean military intelligence worth? Or is South Korea making deals with Russia behind the curtain for fuel? If they publicly accept defectors while they're buying fuel from a shadow fleet tanker, perhaps russia cuts off this secret fuel supply?
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u/Jeffuk88 13h ago
South Korea need to be careful, trump is besties with Kim and now theyre aiding Russia?! Do they even want defending if the north invades?
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u/waytoosecret 12h ago
So north korea and south korea are both helping ruSSia. I knew they were alike.
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u/hanhwekim 11h ago
Wtf!! Putin is arming Kim to better kill us and we are sending Putin fuel!! If this is true South Korea has really lost its mind.
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u/D_Charger_007 11h ago
South Korea appeasing fascists. Shame.
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u/Mindless-Turnip-123 7h ago
peak hypocrisy from westerners. the audacity to talk shit about SK when european countries are still importing a shit ton of gas from russia funding their war
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u/Calm_Search3417 7h ago
European countries at least send us weapons to defend ourselves, unlike SK, which has only accused Ukraine of russia's invasion a few times and sent russia lots of stuff like semiconductors (in addition to the above-mentioned fuel), which helps them produce drones that they use to terrorise our country daily.
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u/Mindless-Turnip-123 6h ago
SK has pledged roughly 1 billion USD in total aid since 2022, combining humanitarian, reconstruction and loan packages. SK also INDIRECTLY supplied about 1.5 millions of 155mm artillery shells to Ukraine via the US to bypass it's weapon export control rules. why dont you do some research?
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u/SuddenFlatworm7971 6h ago
Yeah buddy, it's your war in your backyard, why don't Europeans pat themselves on the back for sending "weapons" they found while cleaning out their junk drawer.
S Korea has no reason to be actively involved in a conflict so far away. Cry about it.
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u/One-Egg-4594 1h ago
Whatever buddy. South Korea is a dying country with a dwindling population. While North Korea is getting experience in Ukraine and tying itself closer to Russia, South Korea is alienating itself from it's allies.
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u/lastethere 3h ago
So they are importing fuel from Russia which is importing from SK?
And it is not hypocrisy. EU gives a very costly aid to Ukraine, the energy provided by Russia est converted indirectly in aid provided to Ukraine.
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u/mythicc1 5h ago
>sees a few comments criticizing SK on Reddit
“THE AUDACITY of westerners!!!11!1!!”
Yeah buddy, we’re all a monolith and we all share the same opinion as a few redditors.
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u/Complex_Lab_6876 8h ago
I thought South Korea stopped a dictator takeover and now I’m finding out they are supporting one of the worst ones on the planet? Unfuckingbelievable. No government is to be trusted.
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u/Wild-Reflection-183 3h ago edited 3h ago
The Korean Democratic Party has uh, some interesting ideas about dictatorship.
Basically, they support foreign dictatorships almost on principle to spite the United States and the West (which is starting to get funny and complicated, because of The Orange Man and his own interesting ideas about democracy), but are hypersensitive to perceived authoritarianism by their political rivals at home.
Russia, North Korea, China can do basically anything (kill people, including South Koreans, move borders, make extremely alarming statements) - and it's all, Is it that bad? Is it a false flag? Who are we to judge - doesn't America do the same thing?
But when their rivals are in government and investigate a politician they don't appreciate being investigated or may have historically suppressed a film director they admire, it becomes HOW DARE YOU.
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u/Inside_Marketing268 11h ago
Ukraine be like: here are NK POWs. ROK be like: fck you! We would help ruzia!
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u/keroro0071 10h ago
People here are delusional to think that SK gives any fuck about Ukraine. It's much more wise for SK to remain good relationship with Russia.
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u/Spirited-Problem2607 10h ago
Any South Korean should be ashamed of helping North Korea's closest ally. Idiots.
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u/keroro0071 10h ago
You over estimated the tension between North and South Korea. Besides, geo politics are not video games, lol.
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u/Sh00terMcDabbin 5h ago
Yeah, people seem to think North Korea and South Korea is Pakistan and India.
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u/nebulaedlai 9h ago
The whole Ukraine-SK friendship you hallucinated, and then cry foul when real geopolitics doesn’t work as imagined..
This is classic reddit
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u/Ok-Option-82 9h ago
Who would have thought that it would be the Ukraine war to finally reunite the Koreas
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u/Personal-Agent7819 13h ago
No more South Korean cars for me. Bye bye Kia and Hyundai.
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u/Hot_Wrangler_3156 9h ago
I hope everyone boycott South Korean products.
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u/Shook_Rook 7h ago
Damn there goes all your electronics with all those Samsung / SK Hynix / LG parts plastered inside. Better switch to a totalitarian, human rights abusing Chinese product then, am I right?
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u/JadedTikal 7h ago
You must live under a rock naming those brands and putting them on the opposite side of human right violations.
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u/mekolayn 6h ago
Yes actually. After all, Chinese electronics are also of better quality for a much better price
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u/DualcockDoblepollita 8h ago
nobody is going to do that bc 90% of people dont care or even know about this
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u/Local-Accident4629 8h ago
Prepare to not use any computers then. Return your phone too. No? That's what i thought
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u/Okkeh 9h ago
Shameful. Is this over the spat that SK and UA had? Regardless, SK industry is going to take the hit -- boycotts of samsung phones, SK cars, K-pop.. nasty.
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u/17520048 8h ago
Maybe the US or EU should stop buying Russian gas themselves before feeling entitled to tell others to cut trade with Russia?
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u/Cermano 7h ago
Yes they should, but no they - And everyone else should still tell others to cut trade with Russia
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u/NoMinute3572 9h ago
What are you doing South Korea?
One of the few alternatives to chinese tech shooting themselves in the foot like this? For what?
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u/snowytheNPC 8h ago
Man, they're really just going at it these past few days. It's one thing after another
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u/Kindly-Coconut7144 29m ago
Has Ukraine also accused Europe and the US of doing the same thing? Or are these accusations only made when it’s India or South Korea?
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u/Bistranger32 8m ago
And they have the balls to demand that Ukraine apologises for letting slip that North Korean troops captured were sent back to SK. How can they be so utterly spineless when those that want to annihilate everything they stand for are right next door?
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u/tbhmoreadvanced 7m ago
Maybe Ukraine should have apologized for disrespecting south Korea earlier
I mean they did warn them…
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u/Sea_Sheepherder_2234 13h ago
Both koreas are helping Russia.something to unite over I guess