Mike Pence, who served as U.S. vice president during Donald Trump's first term, has proposed a way to indirectly supply South Korean interceptor missiles to Ukraine by routing them through the United States, as the country faces Russia's ballistic missile assaults.
In an interview with CNN on the 23rd local time, Pence warned that Ukraine would be in a seriously vulnerable position as winter approaches. His remarks pointed to the reality that supporting Ukraine has become difficult as the war with Iran has depleted U.S. air-defense missile stocks. He added that other U.S. allies might also have an opportunity, saying South Korea possesses highly sophisticated interceptor missiles and that there had been several contacts this week between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and South Korea. Pence referred to South Korea directly, saying that if President Lee Jae-myung provides interceptor missiles to the United States, it could give Washington a chance to deploy them to the Middle East, Ukraine and European allies.
Zelensky has also publicly requested support in the form of the Cheongung-II, a South Korean surface-to-air missile regarded as having strong interception capability. In a broadcast interview on the 9th of this month, Zelensky said Ukraine wanted South Korea's support in the area of air-defense systems, where it is lacking, adding that while South Korea faces legal constraints, Ukraine hopes for such cooperation and that diplomats from the two countries are in contact.
The Cheongung-II, a medium-range surface-to-air guided weapon produced by LIG Defense & Aerospace (LIG D&A), intercepts aircraft and ballistic missiles at a range of up to 40 kilometers and an altitude of about 15 to 20 kilometers. Two Cheongung-II batteries deployed to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in March this year are assessed to have proven their combat performance, firing about 60 rounds against Iranian attacks and recording an interception success rate of around 96%.
Amid this, Ukraine also asked the Japanese government for interceptor missile support, but Tokyo declined the request, Kyodo News reported. In an interview with Kyodo News, Ukraine's new Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi said there was only one thing he wanted to ask of Japan — a ballistic missile interception system — and called for the provision of Patriot missiles, a surface-to-air guided weapon. He stressed that the weapon was the most urgent priority to protect citizens' safety and energy infrastructure such as the power grid, and to get through the approaching heating season.
Japan, however, takes the position that it is difficult to meet such a request. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara drew a line, saying that under the Self-Defense Forces Act, Japan is not considering transferring weapons intended for killing or destruction. In April this year, Japan revised its Three Principles on the Transfer of Defense Equipment and their operational guidelines, opening the door in principle to exports of lethal weapons, but exports to countries involved in a conflict remain prohibited in principle. Supporting Ukraine with interceptor missiles would require a political decision by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, along with the prior conclusion of a separate defense equipment transfer agreement.
