Ukraine, South Korea to meet in Paris after recall of 8 embassy staff
Foreign ministers Sybiha and Cho Hyun will discuss the dispute over two North Korean POWs captured in Kursk.
By Alyssa Parker ·
Ukrainian and South Korean foreign ministers are meeting in Paris on Tuesday to reset their diplomatic relationship.
The in-person talks between Andrii Sybiha and Cho Hyun are the first high-level engagement since a dispute over two North Korean soldiers strained ties between Kyiv and Seoul. The meeting is occurring on the sidelines of the G7 foreign ministers summit currently taking place in the French capital.
The diplomatic friction began with the capture of two North Korean soldiers who had been fighting alongside Russian forces in Kursk Oblast in 2025. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed the existence of the prisoners to the United Nations General Assembly on September 23. He stated that Ukraine had transferred the two prisoners of war to South Korea.
Seoul reacted sharply to the disclosure. President Lee Jae-myung accused Zelenskyy of revealing sensitive information on September 24. He argued that prior agreements between the two nations had been violated. The Office of the President of Ukraine responded by clarifying that no formal non-disclosure agreements were in place. Kyiv maintained that the president only confirmed the handover without sharing operational details.
Tensions escalated in October as South Korea implemented concrete diplomatic measures. On October 8, the South Korean Foreign Ministry recalled Ambassador Park Hee-chang from Ukraine. The ministry cited the ongoing disagreement over the information disclosure regarding the repatriation of the prisoners as the primary reason for the move.
Further pressure mounted on October 27 when Cho Hyun announced the withdrawal of eight staff members from the South Korean embassy in Ukraine. He attributed the reduction in personnel to Kyiv’s failure to resolve the dispute. Seoul also summoned Ukraine’s ambassador to demand a public apology and warned of additional measures if the demand was not met.
Sybiha is using his working visit to Paris to engage with other key international figures alongside the bilateral meeting with Cho Hyun. He is expected to hold separate discussions with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. The two foreign ministers aim to agree upon concrete steps for future cooperation during their encounter.
