Ukraine, South Korea Plan Talks to Mend Ties After POW Row

Ukraine and South Korea plan face-to-face talks in Paris to repair relations following a dispute over two North Korean prisoners of war, a diplomatic source said on Tuesday, Nov. 10.Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha will meet his South Korean counterpart, Cho Hyun, RBC-Ukraine reported, citing an unnamed source.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.The meeting’s purpose will be “normalization of relations and bilateral dialogue,” the source said.The planned encounter comes during the G7 foreign ministers’ meetings in Paris on Nov. 9-10, where Sybiha is participating in discussions on support for Ukraine.The effort follows weeks of tensions that prompted Seoul to recall its ambassador and reduce embassy staffing, despite Kyiv’s insistence that diplomatic communication should resolve the disagreement.Dispute sparked by Zelensky’s UN announcementThe disagreement began after President Volodymyr Zelensky, during his Sept. 23 address to the UN General Assembly, disclosed that Ukraine had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea.Ukrainian forces captured the soldiers in Russia’s Kursk region in January 2025 while they were fighting alongside Russian troops. Subsequent reports suggest the two arrived in South Korea in mid-September 2026.Seoul said the governments had agreed to keep the transfer confidential to protect the prisoners and their relatives in North Korea.Ukraine disputed that account. Zelensky’s office said Seoul had been informed beforehand that the president intended to mention the transfer, while Kyiv maintained that he had disclosed neither the soldiers’ identities nor sensitive operational details. Other Topics of Interest Abu Dhabi Talks Cover Security Guarantees for Russia Ukraine says the war must stop before Europe’s security is reshaped, as Russia’s own demands enter the Abu Dhabi negotiations. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung subsequently demanded an apology, warning on Oct. 2 that Seoul could take further measures if Ukraine did not acknowledge its concerns.Sybiha described the disagreement as a “diplomatic misunderstanding” and said Ukraine wanted to resolve it quickly, stressing South Korea’s importance as a partner.Seoul recalls its ambassador and withdraws staffCho said in early October that Sybiha had sent messages containing an apology, but that the response fell short of South Korea’s expectations.On Oct. 8, Seoul announced it would recall its ambassador, Park Ki-chang. He returned to South Korea on Oct. 10.The dispute continued despite diplomatic exchanges between the two governments.On Oct. 20, South Korea announced plans to withdraw embassy personnel. Its Foreign Ministry cited both the unresolved disagreement and persistent Russian airstrikes, which complicated efforts to ensure staff safety.Seoul said necessary diplomatic communication would continue through its chargé d’affaires and that consular personnel would remain to assist South Korean nationals.By Oct. 27, Cho confirmed that eight diplomatic personnel had been withdrawn.Speaking during a parliamentary audit, he said essential staff remained in Ukraine and that he was still communicating with Sybiha.“I have continued communicating with the Ukrainian foreign minister to resolve the issue as soon as possible,” Cho said.Diplomatic contacts continue despite the riftKyiv and Seoul have publicly disagreed over whether earlier discussions settled the issue.Ukraine maintained in October that the situation had been resolved and called for diplomacy to prevail over emotions. South Korea continued to seek an explanation and an apology addressing its concerns over confidentiality.Cho nevertheless said South Korea’s broader support for Ukraine remained unchanged, including humanitarian assistance, participation in reconstruction conferences and international efforts to end the war.The dispute has unfolded against the backdrop of growing military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.North Korea has supplied Russia with ammunition and troops, including a KN-23 missile in an overnight strike against Ukraine on Saturday, while South Korea has provided Ukraine with financial and humanitarian support.Seoul has maintained a policy against directly supplying lethal weapons to countries engaged in active conflicts. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.