Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha met his South Korean counterpart Cho Hyun on the sidelines of the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Paris and said he was convinced “new steps toward full normalization” of relations lay ahead, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said on 10 November. South Korea’s Foreign Ministry has earmarked $100 million for Ukraine in its proposed 2027 budget, which would fulfill a pledge President Lee Jae Myung made in July, Korea JoongAng Daily reported on 9 November.

The talks were the ministers’ first face-to-face meeting since Seoul recalled its ambassador in October. The row began when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the UN General Assembly on 23 September that Ukraine had handed two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea. Seoul says Kyiv had asked to keep the transfer quiet and then broke that agreement, and it demanded an apology. Zelenskyy’s adviser Dmytro Lytvyn wrote on Facebook that there had been no agreement to stay silent. Seoul has since also pulled staff from its embassy in Kyiv.

Cho tells Sybiha that agreements must be honored

Cho told Sybiha that mutual respect, trust, and faithful implementation of agreements were basic preconditions for the relationship to develop, and said he hoped all pending issues would be resolved smoothly, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said on 11 November. He added that Seoul would keep looking for ways to provide humanitarian aid and support Ukraine’s reconstruction. Sybiha, in turn, proposed continuing diplomatic efforts to keep relations stable, the ministry said. Kyunghyang Shinmun read Cho’s words as a renewed call for an apology and for steps to prevent a repeat.

Ukraine’s readout, for its part, did not mention the prisoners. In it, Sybiha said the ministers discussed ways to end the war and that he valued Cho’s views, which drew on Korea’s own historical experience. He also welcomed Korean business taking part in Ukraine’s reconstruction and invited Cho to visit Ukraine again. Seoul Shinmun noted that Kyiv’s account contained no apology and no pledge to prevent a repeat.

Speaking on the national telethon, Sybiha said the two had talked frankly about the recent unpleasant events, Interfax-Ukraine reported.

“We deserve an extraordinarily dynamic and high-level relationship with South Korea,” Sybiha added.

Where the $100 million would go

The figures come from the office of Song Seog-jun, chair of the National Assembly’s foreign affairs committee, and from diplomatic sources, according to Korea JoongAng Daily. Under the proposal, Seoul’s contribution to a NATO trust fund for Ukraine would nearly triple, from $16.7 million this year to $50 million in 2027. Humanitarian aid would rise from $5 million to $20 million. Another $30 million would come from a program for conflict-affected and fragile countries.

“Recent diplomatic tensions must not undermine the progress made in bilateral cooperation,” Song said.

A Foreign Ministry official told the paper that the government’s principled position on supporting Ukraine remained unchanged. That support excludes weapons: South Korean law bars direct exports of lethal arms to countries at war, and in August Seoul again refused Kyiv’s request for them.