South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun (R) shakes hands with his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, ahead of their talks in Seoul on Tuesday. Photo by Yonhap
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, in Seoul on Tuesday, South Korea's foreign ministry said, with bilateral cooperation and the issue of North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) expected to top the agenda.
It marked the first visit by a Ukrainian foreign minister to South Korea since 2015, though the two ministers met in France in March on the sidelines of a Group of Seven foreign ministers' meeting.
The two ministers were expected to discuss assessments of the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, as well as potential cooperation between Seoul and Kyiv on Ukraine's post-war reconstruction efforts.
Among the key issues are North Korean POWs held in Ukraine, as two North Korean soldiers were captured by Ukrainian forces in early 2025 after being deployed to Russia's Kursk region in support of Moscow. They have reportedly expressed their wish to defect to South Korea.
