Defense Express: South Korea May Transfer 3.4 Million Shells To Ukrainian Armed Forces

• 23.10.2024, 16:21

The country has a huge stockpile of 105-mm ammunition.

During the Cold War, the United States accumulated a huge stockpile of shells in South Korea.

South Korea is considering the possibility of transferring ammunition and weapons to Ukraine in response to the appearance of North Korean troops on the side of the Russian Federation. The country has 3.4 million 105-mm shells, which the Ukrainian Armed Forces really need, Defense Express writes.

On October 22, the South Korean agency Yonhap News published a report that South Korea is considering for the first time the transfer of weapons for defensive and offensive operations to Ukraine in response to North Korea's actions. Back in April, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said that the country has millions of “extra” 105-mm shells and it would be reasonable to transfer them to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The fact is that during the Cold War, the United States accumulated a huge stockpile of shells in South Korea. The country received several hundred thousand 155-mm shells and 3.4 million 105-mm shells. South Korea has only a few K105 HT mobile artillery systems in service, which are suitable for 105-mm shells. They are going to gradually send them to the reserve starting in 2020, Defense Express notes.

The publication emphasized that some of the 3.4 million 105-mm shells are surplus to South Korea. Therefore, the ammunition can be transferred to the Ukrainian Armed Forces without serious consequences for the country.

The 105-mm shells are especially necessary for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, since Ukraine received more than 100 howitzers of the corresponding caliber from Western partners, Defense Express added.