Seoul, June 30 (IANS) South Korea and Ukraine agreed Tuesday to work toward resolving the issue of North Korean Prisoners of War (PoWs) captured in Ukraine in accordance with international law and humanitarian principles, Seoul’s foreign ministry said.
The consensus was made during a meeting between Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, in Seoul earlier in the day, according to the ministry.
Two North Korean soldiers were captured by Ukrainian forces in early 2025 after being deployed to Russia’s Kursk region in support of Moscow, and they have reportedly expressed their desire to come to South Korea, Yonhap news agency reported.
“The two ministers agreed to seek a resolution to the issue of North Korean prisoners of war in Ukraine in a manner consistent with international law and humanitarian principles, while respecting the free will of the individuals concerned,” the ministry said in a release.
“The two sides also exchanged in-depth views on the war in Ukraine and major regional developments, including those on the Korean Peninsula,” it added.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Park Il said the two sides were engaged in “constructive discussions” on the war prisoners issue and stressed that Seoul would continue diplomatic efforts to make progress toward its resolution.
The Seoul government has maintained that North Korean soldiers are constitutionally regarded as South Korean nationals and that it would accept any POWs wishing to come to South Korea.
While the Ukrainian government has maintained that it will not forcibly repatriate North Korean POWs against their will, a final decision on the matter has yet to be made, as Kyiv is also weighing broader considerations regarding the treatment of POWs from other countries, sources said.
In a post on social platform X, Sybiha said he and Cho “discussed in detail the issue of North Korean POWs, and we know how to proceed in accordance with international humanitarian law.”
Sybiha also stressed the “global consequences” of Russia’s war against Ukraine, citing Moscow’s expanding military cooperation with North Korea.
During his visit to South Korea, Sybiha travelled to the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), the heavily fortified border separating the two Koreas, where he underscored the need for closer cooperation between South Korea and Ukraine in response to threats posed by North Korea and Russia.
“Behind this line lies a totalitarian regime that actively helps Russia destroy peaceful Ukrainian cities. Due to the dangerous actions of Pyongyang and Moscow, this historic line is now physically linked to our own front lines in Ukraine,” he said.
“Through its involvement of the DPRK in its war against Ukraine and by boosting the regime in Pyongyang, Moscow is exporting instability to the Korean Peninsula,” he said, saying Ukraine is ready to offer South Korea a “mutually beneficial security partnership.” The DPRK is the acronym of the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
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.
During Tuesday’s talks, Cho and Sybiha also discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction efforts, as well as economic and business ties, the ministry said.
–IANS
ksk/as