South Korea's surplus shells could boost Ukraine's defense

According to Global Firepower rankings, South Korea has the fifth most powerful army in the world. Due to its location and extremely tense relations with its northern neighbor, South Korea, unlike many NATO countries, has not considered disarmament and has consistently maintained its military equipment and ammunition. Over the years, stocks of some shells have grown to enormous sizes.

South Korea is one of the world's largest producers of 155 mm artillery shells, including standard, cluster munition, and smoke shells. However, the Ukrainian service Defense Express highlights South Korean 105 mm artillery ammunition.

According to estimates from sources such as the analytical group CSIS, currently, South Korean warehouses hold about 3.4 million 105 mm shells. They began accumulating these during the Cold War. The shells were initially stocked by the United States, which later decided to sell the supplies to South Korea. Along with domestic production in local armament factories, the Koreans have built up impressive quantities of this type of ammunition.

An argument for providing Ukraine with 105 mm artillery shells is that they are no longer particularly crucial for South Korea. The modernization of its army has left only a few artillery systems using 105 mm caliber in service.

For this reason, Defense Express's conclusions suggest that at least some of the 3.4 million 105 mm artillery shells in South Korea are surplus and could be allocated for direct military aid to Ukraine. This would be invaluable assistance, as Ukrainian soldiers have been struggling with ammunition shortages of various types for months. More than 100 different 105 mm howitzers have reached the front from the West.