South Korean and Ukrainian Foreign Ministers Meet, but No Apology for "Unilateral Disclosure of North Korean POW Repatriation"

'Recall of South Korean Ambassador to Ukraine' a tough diplomatic move, now more than a month ago... Dispute remains deadlocked despite ministerial talks
Minister Cho Hyun: "Mutual respect and trust are basic prerequisites for developing bilateral relations" ... Maintains South Korea's existing position

The foreign ministers of South Korea and Ukraine, who have been at odds over the public disclosure of the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war, met face-to-face. The talks proceeded in a relatively friendly atmosphere, but Ukraine did not acknowledge that it had broken the confidential agreement, as the South Korean government had demanded, or offer an explicit apology. More than a month has already passed since South Korea took the exceptionally tough diplomatic step of recalling its ambassador to Ukraine to Seoul, yet no clear way forward for normalizing relations between the two countries is in sight.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun (right) and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha hold talks in Paris, France, on the 10th (local time). Ministry of Foreign Affairs

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on November 11, Minister Cho Hyun, who is visiting Paris, France, to attend the G7 foreign ministers' meeting, held talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha the previous afternoon (local time). At their first face-to-face meeting since the diplomatic dispute emerged, Cho said, "Mutual respect and trust between countries, and the faithful implementation of agreements, are basic prerequisites for developing bilateral relations." His remarks appeared to point out Ukraine's wrongdoing in denying and unilaterally breaking the confidential agreement on the prisoners' repatriation, while reiterating the South Korean government's existing demands. A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official also said, "Our fundamental position is that the issues we have raised, including acknowledgment of the facts, must be resolved."

Cho, however, said, "We continue to uphold our principled position on supporting Ukraine as a responsible member of the international community," adding, "We will continue to consider ways to provide humanitarian assistance and support Ukraine's reconstruction."

In response, Minister Sybiha said on his social media account shortly after the meeting, "Further steps toward the full normalization of relations between our two countries remain to be taken." He did not provide specific details about these "further steps."

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