South Korea’s postwar economic trajectory and powerful air defenses could serve as an example for Ukraine if the United States backs Kyiv as it did Seoul, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested.
Speaking to French newspaper Le Point in an interview published Thursday, Zelenskyy said South Korea’s economic boom in the 20th century “shows that values have triumphed” and could be “a good example” for Ukraine.
“South Korea’s development is incomparable to that of North Korea, where we see real economic and civilizational decline,” the Ukrainian leader added.
Since the 1960s, South Korea has transformed from one of the poorest countries in the world into an advanced industrial economy, becoming a global leader in technology with firms like Samsung and Hyundai.
After the Korean War, which left the peninsula in ruins and carved it in two, South Korea — backed by the United States and its allies — embarked on a path of rapid reconstruction and industrialization; while North Korea, supported by the Soviet Union and China, became increasingly isolated and economically stagnant. Today, South Korea’s GDP is roughly 40 times larger than that of its nuclear-armed northern neighbor.
“You ask me if this scenario could happen in Ukraine? My answer is that anything is possible,” Zelenskyy said. “It should be noted that South Korea has a powerful ally: the United States of America, which will not let North Korea take over.”
Washington and Kyiv signed an agreement in May to establish an investment fund to help rebuild postwar Ukraine, which has been devastated by Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. The pact would also see the U.S. develop and profit from Ukraine’s vast natural resources, which President Donald Trump has publicly coveted.
South Korea has “many air defense systems that guarantee their security,” Zelenskyy pointed out, adding that Ukraine aimed to acquire “solid security guarantees, for example, Patriot systems, which South Korea has.”
The U.S. has long furnished Seoul with its Patriot missile defense system to shield the country from North Korea’s nuclear threats. About 28,000 American troops are also stationed in South Korea to help deter aggression from Pyongyang.
Trump has vowed not to put boots on the ground in Ukraine, insisting Europe would have to “frontload” a future peacekeeping force.
Moscow was far more of a danger than North Korea, Zelenskyy cautioned. “North Korea’s population is just over 20 million, while Russia’s has over 140 million. The scale of these threats cannot be compared,” he said.
“The threats from Russia are five, six, or even ten times greater,” he continued. “A one-to-one replication of the South Korean model would probably not be suitable for Ukraine in terms of security.”
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