Japan, South Korean Weaponry Could End Up in Ukraine, Reports Say

SEOUL (Sputnik) - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will likely exert pressure on Japan and South Korea to force these countries to provide military aid to Ukraine, Kim Tong Myong, a researcher of the Society for International Politics Study in North Korea said in an article published by the Korean media on Monday.

Kim Tong Myong argues that NATO is seeking "to apply the method of collective confrontation in Asia-Pacific" and that Stoltenberg is visiting Japan and South Korea following Western countries’ decision on supplying tanks to Kiev in order to get Tokyo and Seoul to provide military support to Ukraine.

"It is a matter of time that the military hardware of South Korea and Japan flowing into NATO are seen in the Ukrainian battlefield," Kim Tong Myong warns, saying that Stoltenberg will use the "theory of threat from China" in order to pressure Japan and South Korea.

The researcher recalled that South Korea has signed an arms sales contract with Poland, while Japan has agreed to develop next generation fighters jointly with the United Kingdom and Italy. Kim Tong Myong warned that the West is seeking to create an "Asian version of NATO."

Stoltenberg is visiting South Korea and Japan from January 29 to February 1.

On January 15, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that his country would send 14 of its Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine. Germany has committed to sending 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks to Kiev, after being repeatedly pushed to do so by some of its EU and NATO allies. On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden announced that his country would send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, but the delivery would take considerable time.

In April 2022, Moscow sent a note to NATO member states condemning their military assistance to Kiev after Russia started its military operation in Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that any arms shipments on Ukrainian territory would be "legitimate targets" for Russian forces.