Ukraine and South Korea set to meet in Paris
The two foreign ministers will meet on the sidelines of the G7 summit to address a dispute over North Korean prisoners of war.
By Amit Chukwu ·
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha will meet with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun in Paris.
Diplomatic sources confirmed that the two officials plan to hold face-to-face talks during the G7 foreign ministers' summit. The primary goal of the session is to normalize relations and restart bilateral dialogue after a period of diplomatic friction.
The tension stems from an incident involving two North Korean soldiers. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on 23 September that Ukraine had transferred the two men to South Korea. The soldiers had previously fought for Russia and were captured in Kursk Oblast in 2025.
South Korea reacted negatively to the public announcement. President Lee Jae-myung accused Ukraine of revealing sensitive information on 24 September. Kyiv responded that no non-disclosure agreements existed and argued that only the fact of the handover was shared, not operational details.
Diplomatic measures followed the public exchange. On 8 October, Seoul recalled its ambassador, Park Hee-chang. On 27 October, Cho Hyun announced the withdrawal of eight embassy staff members from Ukraine. South Korea also summoned the Ukrainian ambassador and threatened further actions if Kyiv did not issue a public apology.
Sybiha will also speak with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas during his visit. The Paris meeting represents the first direct engagement between the two foreign ministers since the embassy staff withdrawal.
