FILE PHOTO: South Korean Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choo Kyung-ho speaks during an interview with Reuters in Incheon, South Korea, May 3, 2023.  REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
South Korea

South Korea signs agreement to provide $130M aid to Ukraine

On Wednesday, South Korea signed an agreement with Ukraine on its plan to provide a $130 million financial aid package.

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea signed an agreement with Ukraine on Wednesday on its plan to provide a $130 million financial aid package, a day after the visiting first lady of the war-hit country asked for military assistance.

South Korea's finance ministry said Minister Choo Kyung-ho and Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, in Seoul to attend a conference, signed the agreement on the package, which will consist of donations and aid loans.

South Korea, a major producer of artillery shells, has saidit was not providing lethal weapons to Ukraine, citing its relations with Russia.

But Yoon said in an interview with Reuters last month his government might not "insist only on humanitarian or financial support" if civilians in Ukraine come under a large-scale attackor because of a "situation the international community cannot condone".

(Reporting by Choonsik Yoo; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)

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