President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee pay tribute to veterans of the Korean War at the National Memorial Cemetery in Hawaii, Monday (local time). Yonhap

President Yoon Suk Yeol is unlikely to announce the provision of lethal arms support to Ukraine at the upcoming NATO summit, observers said Tuesday, but he is expected to offer advanced humanitarian support to the war-torn nation in solidarity with the West.

Despite Yoon's stern warning to Russia against choosing North Korea over South Korea, Seoul remains very cautious about sending arms to Kyiv — an action that could sever ties with Moscow and escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula, experts noted.

Yoon arrived in Hawaii, Monday (local time), before heading to Washington, D.C., for the 2024 NATO summit scheduled to begin the following day.

In Hawaii, he paid tribute to veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific and met with Korean residents living on the U.S. islands.

During the meeting with residents, Yoon pledged to contribute to promptly ending the war in Ukraine through cooperation with like-minded nations in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region.

"Russia and North Korea are deepening their military and economic cooperation in direct violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions, adding concerns for the international community," he said.

The president will visit the Indo-Pacific Command on Tuesday before departing for the NATO summit.

Yoon's third consecutive attendance at the annual summit comes amid increasing geopolitical tensions in Northeast Asia following a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on June 19, during which the two sides signed a military agreement that includes mutual defense assistance in the event of an attack on either party.

In response to the military pact, Seoul said it would need to reconsider its current policy of not providing lethal weapons to Ukraine depending on the extent of the military partnership between Pyongyang and Moscow.

However, observers believe that lethal arms support for Ukraine is currently not on the South Korean government's agenda for the NATO gathering, and Yoon is not expected to broach this topic with European leaders.

"Given the nature of the upcoming NATO meeting, which largely focuses on how to continue supporting Ukraine, South Korea is expected to demonstrate increased commitment to Kyiv in solidarity with Western allies," said Lim Eul-chul, a professor of North Korean studies at Kyungnam University, noting that Seoul has been facing mounting pressure from the West to supply arms to the war-torn nation.

"The president may adopt a more proactive stance in supporting Ukraine. However, wary of ties with Russia, I don't expect a shift in the current policy of providing non-lethal aid," Lim added.

Cho Han-bum, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute of National Unification, echoed this sentiment.

"Although Seoul and Moscow have been exchanging hostile rhetoric, both sides are treading carefully not to cross the 'red line' that could sever ties and escalate military threats," Cho said.

"Yoon may strongly condemn Russia and North Korea at the NATO summit, but concerning Ukraine, he is likely to reaffirm his commitment to supporting the nation by increasing humanitarian aid and providing non-lethal military equipment."

President Yoon Suk Yeol and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shake hands after a joint conference following a summit in Kyiv, Ukraine, July 16, 2023. Courtesy of presidential office

In an interview with Reuters released on Monday, Yoon warned Russia to make a "sensible decision" between South Korea and North Korea, reiterating that his administration will reconsider its stance on weapons provisions to Ukraine depending on Russia's actions.

In response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow "fully disagrees" with Yoon's approach, stating that Russia advocates for building good relations with both Koreas.

"The current situation is that we have our partner in Pyongyang, and we have a country in Seoul that has joined anti-Russian sanctions," Peskov was quoted as saying by the Tass News Agency.

Meanwhile, a delegation from North Korea's military school departed for Russia, according to Pyongyang's state media Korea Central News Agency (KCNA), Tuesday, in a sign of increasing military cooperation.

The Korean People's Army military education delegation, led by Kim Kum-chol, president of Kim Il- sung Military University, left for Russia on Monday, KCNA reported briefly without providing further details. The military university, named after North Korea's founder, is a training institute for the country's military officers.

This marks the first known military personnel exchange since the Kim-Putin summit in June.

"On the surface, it seems like a routine people-to-people exchange, but the North may have included military advisers in its delegations to discuss military training and technology exchange," Cho said.

South Korea's foreign ministry said it is currently reviewing the details of the visit, but noted that any military cooperation leading to the strengthening of Pyongyang's military capabilities constitutes a violation of UNSC resolutions.