Foreign Ministry: "Major European Countries Express Interest in Strained South Korea-Ukraine Ties ... Humanitarian Aid to Continue"

The government said Thursday that major European countries have expressed interest in the issue after South Korea-Ukraine relations rapidly deteriorated following the unilateral disclosure of the “repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war.”

Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Yonhap News Agency

A Foreign Ministry official told reporters Thursday, “Major European countries have expressed interest in the strained state of relations between South Korea and Ukraine and conveyed their willingness to play a role in turning the situation around.” The official added, “I believe this shows that major Western countries place importance on cooperation and solidarity with South Korea, a key country in the Asia-Pacific region, on a range of international issues.”

The official also said, “(The major European countries) have conveyed the message that they hope our support for Ukraine will continue,” adding, “As a responsible member of the international community, the government intends to maintain its principled position on providing (humanitarian) support to Ukraine.” The official added, “On pending issues with Ukraine, however, we intend to continue consultations at the bilateral level.”

The Foreign Ministry did not specify which European countries had expressed interest in the incident. They were reportedly three European countries, and communication with each took place through high-level diplomatic channels.

It is somewhat unusual for some major European countries to have expressed interest in bilateral relations between South Korea and Ukraine. Europe has been Ukraine’s strongest supporter since the war broke out following Russia’s invasion, so their interest could be interpreted as reflecting concern that the incident might develop into a diplomatic dispute. However, when asked whether the countries had expressed concern, a Foreign Ministry official said, “No,” adding, “We understand that they were referring to the importance of, and their expectations for, our government’s role.”

Another Foreign Ministry official said, “(The European countries) asked about the current situation, and we explained how events had unfolded.” The official added, “They emphasized the importance of South Korea’s support (within the international community), and we agreed, explaining that we would continue to play a role.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.