Incoming government to consider expanding humanitarian aid to Ukraine: spokesperson

SEOUL, April 13 (Yonhap) -- The incoming government of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is considering expanding humanitarian aid to Ukraine, his spokesperson said Wednesday, after the country's president asked for weapons support.

In a virtual address to South Korean lawmakers on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for military equipment support to help the country fight off Russia's invasion, though Seoul has already turned down a request for weapons.

"We know that the current government has also expressed its refusal," Yoon's spokesperson Bae Hyun-jin said when asked for comment on Zelenskyy's call for weapons support. "With regard to humanitarian aid to Ukraine, we're considering further expanding it once the new government takes office."

South Korea has maintained that there are "limits" in sending weapons to Ukraine. Defense Minister Suh Wook repeated the position during his phone talks with Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov last week.

kdon@yna.co.kr
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