South Korea breaks neutrality to arm Ukraine against Russia

The strategic partnership agreement between Russia and North Korea has unexpectedly positively affected Ukraine. This primarily concerns breaking South Korea's reluctance to supply weapons to Ukraine. Here's what one of the world's giants in arms production will donate to Ukraine first.

South Korean OSINT analyst Mason_8178, in his post on X (formerly Twitter), estimates that the first delivery from South Korea for the Armed Forces of Ukraine may include 4.1-inch and 6.1-inch artillery ammunition and AT-1K Raybolt anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM).

Ukraine is currently dependent on artillery ammunition supplies from the West. One of the largest producers of 6.1-inch artillery ammunition is South Korea, which has powerful production capabilities due to its geopolitical situation.

Due to its neutrality policy, South Korea has avoided actively supporting Ukraine until now. However, this does not mean that nothing has been happening in this regard, as South Korea indirectly helped Ukraine by replenishing the American ammunition stockpile.

The assistance will be direct this time, with hundreds of thousands of shells potentially reaching Ukraine. This support could be crucial at the end of 2024 if Americans halt arms supplies due to internal situations in the country, such as the presidential elections, which Donald Trump may win.

The leading producer of artillery ammunition in South Korea, Poongsan Corporation, offers a full range of ammunition, from the most straightforward solutions to those capable of engaging targets at 37 miles.

In the first group, we have unguided KM107 shells, a variant of the American M107 shells. They contain 14.6 lbs of TNT encased in a cast steel body with a percussion fuse and can engage targets at up to 18.6 miles when fired from artillery systems with a long gun, such as the K9 Thunder or the Polish Krab.

Additionally, South Korea has K305 DPICM shells with a similar range but with a cluster warhead containing a mix of 88 bomblets based on the American DPICM. The second type is the K307 shells, which weigh 102.3 lbs and are equipped with a gas generator, increasing their firing range to 25.5 miles. A cluster variant K310 containing 49 K221 DPICM bomblets was also developed in this case.

Theoretically, the delivery of K315 shells, a recent innovation, is also possible. These shells have a gas generator and a rocket booster capable of striking targets at 37 miles. Similar to the American M549A1, they have a slightly reduced TNT charge compared to the K307 due to the need to allocate space for the rocket motor and fuel.

The AT-1K Raybolt is an ATGM introduced into service in the Korean armed forces in 2017 and has also been purchased by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Structurally, the AT-1K Raybolt, similar to the FGM-148 Javelin, is a "fire and forget" weapon that attacks targets from above with a powerful tandem HEAT warhead capable of penetrating up to 35 inches of armor behind reactive armor, according to the manufacturer.

This ensures it can eliminate any Russian tank without the slightest problem and provides high safety for its operators, who can immediately evacuate after firing. Additionally, the system can be safely fired from enclosed spaces.

The target is hit by an optoelectronic head that detects the thermal image of the target. The system has a striking range of up to 1.9 miles, which is less than that of, for example, late Javelins or the Akeron MP, but it makes the AT-1K Raybolt a lightweight solution, with the total weight of the launcher and missile being around 44 lbs.