Seoul OKs Poland's transfer of howitzers with S.Korean parts to Ukraine

Seoul approved export licences last year for Poland to provide Ukraine with Krab howitzers, which are built with South Korean components, a South Korean defence official and a Polish industry representative told Reuters on March 8.

The comments are the first confirmation that South Korea officially acquiesced to at least indirectly providing weapons components to Ukraine for its war against Russia.

Officials have previously declined to comment on the Krabs, fuelling speculation over whether South Korea had formally agreed or was simply looking the other way.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration's (DAPA) technology control bureau reviewed and approved the transfer of the howitzer's South Korean-made chassis, said Kim Hyoung-Cheol, director of the Europe-Asia division of the International Cooperation Bureau.

"We reviewed all the documentation and possible issues inside DAPA... then we made the decision to give out export licence to Poland," he told Reuters in an interview at DAPA headquarters on the outskirts of Seoul.

He later stressed that the government's stance is to not transfer weapons systems to Ukraine.

Jacek Matuszak, the representative of Poland's state Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ), a group of more than 50 armaments enterprises including Krab manufacturer Huta Stalowa Wola, confirmed that it had received approval from South Korea.

"We obtained this consent for Ukraine and we obtained it last year, before signing the contract for sale to Ukraine," he told Reuters.

South Korea's defence ministry noted that the Krab includes components from several countries and that the transfer did not involve a complete South Korean weapons system.

The Krab is a self-propelled howitzer made by combining a South Korean K9 Thunder chassis, a British BAE Systems turret, French Nexter Systems 155 mm gun, and a Polish fire control system.