South Korean defense startup halts work with Ukrainian army amid diplomatic row

In brief

• South Korean startup Newtype Industries says it ended work with Ukrainian forces after a mid-October instruction from a Ukrainian coordinator.
• The company's chief executive links the halt to a diplomatic row over Ukraine's handover of two North Korean prisoners to Seoul.
• Planned trials of the AI artillery software, called Barbara, were cancelled or postponed indefinitely.

Startup says Ukrainian partner ordered a halt

Newtype Industries, a South Korean defense startup, has stopped working with the Ukrainian military, according to its chief executive, Sengwon "Joe" Cho (Конфлікт із Сеулом позбавив ЗСУ перспективної розробки?: оборонна компанія раптово припинила співпрацю – TSN) (Після сварки з Україною Південна Корея припинила співпрацю із ЗСУ, - ЗМІ – UNIAN). The company had been testing artificial intelligence software for artillery in Ukraine.

Cho said that in mid-October a Ukrainian representative coordinating with the firm told him to suspend all work on the project. He did not say who issued the order or what the reasons were, and it remains unclear who made the decision.

Link to a dispute between Kyiv and Seoul

Cho believes the decision is tied to a diplomatic disagreement between Ukraine and South Korea. The dispute followed Kyiv's public disclosure that it had handed two North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul. Cho stated that the diplomatic conflict was the main reason cooperation ended.

What was lost

The software, called Barbara, was designed to improve the transmission of information and the identification of targets for artillery units. After the mid-October contact, Cho said communication with the Ukrainian partners stopped completely. Planned trials, feedback from soldiers and talks on introducing the system were cancelled or postponed indefinitely. Newtype has also stopped looking for new partners in Ukraine.

Neither Kyiv nor Seoul has publicly commented on the decision in the reports cited here, and the figures and timeline rest on the account of the company's head.