Dispute with South Korea over prisoners: Sybiha met with Cho Hyun and expressed hope for normalisation of relations. PHOTO
Ukraine’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Andrii Sybiha, held a meeting with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, Cho Hyun.
This was reported by Censor.NET, citing the Foreign Ministry’s press office.
What did they discuss?
As noted, the Foreign Minister briefed his counterpart on Ukraine’s peace efforts and proposals for de-escalation.
"We had an in-depth discussion on ways to end the war. I appreciate Minister Cho’s insightful views, based on the Republic of Korea’s own historical experience. I reaffirmed Ukraine’s readiness to develop a dynamic and pragmatic partnership with the Republic of Korea, based on mutual interests and a shared understanding of the security threats associated with the DPRK’s involvement in Russian aggression," Sybiha said.
The path to normalising relations
The Foreign Minister expressed his gratitude to the Republic of Korea for its support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and welcomed the active participation of Korean businesses in Ukraine’s reconstruction.
"I am convinced that new steps lie ahead on the path to the full normalisation of our bilateral relations. This is precisely the outcome we are striving to achieve. I thanked Minister Cho for our regular and constructive dialogue and once again invited him to visit Ukraine," the Ukrainian minister emphasised.
What led up to this?
- During his address to the UN General Assembly, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine had recently handed over to South Korea two North Korean prisoners of war captured on the battlefield.
- In December 2025, two DPRK soldiers, who had been taken prisoner by Ukrainian defenders during combat operations, wrote a letter requesting permission to travel to South Korea. On 11 January 2025, it emerged that the Ukrainian military had captured two North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation.
- Subsequently, South Korea accused Zelenskyy of disclosing a secret operation to hand over the North Korean prisoners of war.
- The Office of the President subsequently denied that Ukraine had agreed with South Korea not to disclose information about the handover of North Korean prisoners of war.
- Despite this, Seoul stated that it was demanding an apology.
- On 28 August, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Andrii Veshkin, Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires in Seoul.
- South Korea threatened Ukraine with "further measures" over the North Korean prisoners of war.
- In October, South Korea received a letter of apology from Ukraine regarding the disclosure of information about the handover of two North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul.
- On 8 October, it emerged that South Korea was recalling its ambassador to Ukraine.
