South Korean defense startup says interview about halted Ukraine trials was fabricated (UPDATED)
South Korean defense startup Newtype Industries has denied giving an interview in which its CEO was quoted as saying Ukraine had halted trials of the company's artillery software amid a diplomatic dispute between Kyiv and Seoul.
Editor's note (November 6, 2026): This article has been substantially updated after Newtype Industries denied giving the interview on which the original report was based. The company said the quotes attributed to its CEO were fabricated. We have removed the disputed claims as established facts. Whether the company's trials in Ukraine have been suspended remains unconfirmed.
SIn a statement published on LinkedIn, the company said The Diplomat, an outlet covering Asia-Pacific affairs, had neither contacted its representatives nor interviewed them.
"The quotes purportedly made by representatives of our company are fabricated," Newtype Industries said, adding that it took the publication of false allegations and fabricated quotations extremely seriously.
The company declined to discuss confidential operational or commercial matters but said the claims published in the article did not accurately reflect its activities or the circumstances in which it operates.
The disputed interview attributed to Newtype Industries CEO Cho Seung-won claimed that Ukrainian military units had been instructed to discontinue trials of the company's artillery software amid tensions between Ukraine and South Korea.
Newtype Industries did not clarify whether the trials had been suspended or were continuing.
The company's statement calls the authenticity of the interview into question but does not independently establish the status of its cooperation with Ukrainian military units.