As the Pentagon relentlessly pours weapons and ammunition into its Ukraine proxy war against Russia, the American arsenal has been rapidly depleted, to the point that the Biden administration is going around begging to buy or "borrow" ammo from other countries. 

The United States has given Ukraine more than a million 155mm shells. The Korean deal will provide some relief to US stockpiles and thus the Ukrainian supply chain, but apparently came after significant hand-wringing in Seoul.

"We've opted to significantly increase the volume of shells but take the rental method, after exploring how to respond to the request of the blood ally in good faith while sticking to the government principle of not providing lethal weapons to Ukraine," an anonymous source told the South Korean paper DongA Ilbo.  

The loaned shells will ostensibly be used to backfill the US stockpile. However, given ammunition is rather fungible, the net effect is that South Korea will aid the Ukrainian army, something prohibited by South Korean arms export policy.   

The report of the deal comes amidst a furor in South Korea over the apparent revelation that the US government spied on Korean officials as they deliberated over the decision. That conclusion is driven by purported Department of Defense documents that are among many that have leaked over the past several weeks, causing headaches for the Biden administration.