The Korean government has temporarily postponed the dispatch of an additional reconstruction cooperation team to Ukraine. This is due to a combination of changes in the international situation due to the prolonged Ukraine-Russia war and a reshuffle of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration of Korea.
According to the Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) on Dec. 25, the ministry was scheduled to visit Ukraine with a reconstruction team in the fourth quarter of this year, but has postponed the trip.
In September, the Korean government dispatched the first public-private reconstruction cooperation team consisting of 30 people to Kiev, Ukraine. The team was headed by then Korean Minister of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport Won Hee-ryong.
Later, the government, specifically the MOTIE, pushed for a second reconstruction team to visit Ukraine within the year, but it was canceled.
A recent delay in a U.S. bill for giving Ukraine aid has raised the possibility that European countries may also cut off aid to the country, leading to the possibility of Ukraine’s defeat by next summer, according to CNN. A cabinet reshuffle in the Korean government is also a factor. The heads of key ministries such as the MOTIE and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) have been changed. They determine the Korean government’s policies related to Ukraine’s reconstruction.
The Korean government believes that Korea’s participation in Ukraine’s reconstruction will be worth more than 66 trillion won in the private and public sectors, so it will not change its course. MOLIT recently ordered a study to analyze the current status of the Ukraine reconstruction project and a participation strategy for the project and plans to proceed with the reconstruction project based on the results to come out around June 2024.