Representatives of Ukrainian civil society's advocacy visit to South Korea was rich and fruitful. NAKO Executive Director Olena Tregub visited Seoul with other colleagues—Victoria Voytsytska, Daria Kaleniuk, and Andriy Martynovych. During the week, they met with South Korean politicians, diplomats, and experts and commented on the current situation in Ukraine on leading TV channels and publications.
During the visit, the delegation talked about the two years of full-scale war that Russia is waging against Ukraine, the urgent needs of our country at the front, the critical infrastructure destroyed by Russia, and the protection of our skies. It was also about humanitarian issues, particularly the cancellation of visas for Ukrainians and educational programs for our students.
According to Olena Tregub, South Korea knows very little about Ukraine, but at the same time, this country has significant potential for cooperation. “This country, which likens itself to a shrimp caught between whales, is mindful of the great powers surrounding it and does not want to take any action that would undermine its national security. First, this concerns the strengthening of defense cooperation between Russia and North Korea and possible escalation in the region," she says.
We should more actively develop cooperation with South Korea because this country is the world's tenth-largest economy and seventh-largest arms exporter. "They have analogs of all Western weapons – Korean stingers, Korean javelins, and anti-aircraft missiles, and they have a lot of shells. The only thing they need to do is aircraft engines. South Korea must start trusting us, stop being afraid of Russia and North Korea, and allow us to develop cooperation confidently," Olena Tregub emphasizes.
The visit took place under the conditions of cooperation between NAKO and ICUV.
This trip is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) within the Ukraine Civil Society Sectoral Support Activity implemented by ISAR Ednannia in partnership with the Ukrainian Center of Independent Political Research (UCIPR) and Centre for Democracy and Rule of Law (CEDEM). The contents are not the responsibility of ISAR Ednannia and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
Photo from the trip
