Seoul : According to the DongA Ilbo newspaper, South Korea agreed last month to lend the United States 500,000 rounds of 155 mm artillery shells, which could potentially provide more flexibility for Washington to supply Ukraine with ammunition. The loaned shells will primarily be used by the United States to fill their stockpile. The decision to lend the ammunition instead of selling it was made to avoid the possibility of South Korean shells being used in the Ukraine conflict.

The U.S. government had requested to buy the same amount of shells or more in February, but the South Korean government sought another way to supply the ammunition to their ally. An unnamed source was quoted as saying, "We've opted to significantly increase the volume of shells but take the rental method, after exploring how to respond to the request of the blood ally in good faith while sticking to the government principle of not providing lethal weapons to Ukraine."

While both Seoul and Washington have confirmed they were negotiating an artillery supply deal, there has been no official confirmation of any agreement. South Korea's defense ministry stated that the allies have been exploring ways to support Ukraine but declined to confirm specific discussions. Foreign Minister Park Jin said that the government position against providing lethal aid for Ukraine remains unchanged.

The leaked highly classified U.S. military documents highlighted South Korea's difficulties in balancing pressure from western allies to help with the supply of military aid to Ukraine and their own policy of staying out of the conflict. South Korea is a major producer of artillery ammunition but has sought to avoid antagonizing Russia due to economic ties and Moscow's influence over North Korea. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is visiting Washington this month for a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden, has stated that Seoul has not provided any lethal weapons to Ukraine and will expand humanitarian assistance instead.