Ukraine, which recently faced diplomatic friction with South Korea over the repatriation of North Korean soldiers, expressed a desire to quickly resolve the 'misunderstanding' between the two countries. Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine's Foreign Minister, emphasized that South Korea is an 'important country' and expressed a commitment to continue cooperation between the two nations.
On October 1, local time, Sybiha spoke with reporters and addressed the controversy surrounding the repatriation of North Korean soldiers, stating, 'I would not like to call this an incident. It is better to refer to it as a diplomatic misunderstanding.'
Earlier, Ukraine captured two North Korean soldiers on the Russian front in Kursk in January 2025. After the soldiers expressed a desire to return to South Korea, the two countries negotiated their repatriation. However, the situation escalated when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly disclosed the repatriation during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly on September 23. Following this, the South Korean government summoned Andrii Beshkin, the acting Ukrainian ambassador to South Korea, to lodge a protest and demand an official explanation and apology.
Conflicting accounts have emerged regarding whether there was a confidential agreement. While Ukraine claims there was no such agreement, the South Korean government maintains that there was an understanding to conduct the repatriation secretly from the outset. The National Intelligence Service reported during a closed meeting with the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee on September 30 that Ukraine had initially requested that the repatriation not be made public.
In this context, Sybiha revealed that he has been in daily contact with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin over the past few days. He expressed hope that the situation would be resolved quickly, stating, 'We are making efforts for this, and South Korea is an important country for us.' He added, 'I very much hope that the momentum, continuity, and concrete results we are achieving together with South Korea will continue.'
In July, during a summit between President Lee Jae-myung and President Zelensky in Turkey, South Korea agreed to provide $100 million (approximately 136.3 billion won) in non-lethal humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Additionally, Foreign Minister Park met with Sybiha in New York on September 23 during the UN General Assembly to express South Korea's commitment to ongoing support for Ukraine.
Meanwhile, North Korea and Russia signed a treaty in June of last year outlining mutual military support obligations in case of emergencies. Following this, North Korea is reported to have deployed approximately 14,000 troops to Russia. President Zelensky mentioned on September 28 that over 8,000 North Korean soldiers remain in Russia, with an additional 10,000 undergoing training for deployment.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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