South Korea Pledges Continued Support for Ukraine in Foreign Ministers’ Talks
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun pledged continued support for Ukraine during talks with his Ukrainian counterpart at the United Nations, while separately pressing Iran on safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun pledged continued support for Ukraine during talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in New York, Seoul’s foreign ministry said Thursday.
The ministers met Wednesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. According to the ministry, Cho said South Korea would continue providing support needed by the Ukrainian people as the war with Russia continues.
The meeting followed South Korea’s announcement at the NATO summit in Ankara in July that it would provide $100 million in non-lethal assistance to Ukraine. The latest talks underscored Seoul’s effort to maintain humanitarian and material backing for Kyiv while avoiding direct military involvement in the conflict.
The discussion also came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the U.N. gathering that Ukraine had recently sent two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces to South Korea. Seoul’s foreign ministry did not address that statement in its account of the Cho-Sybiha meeting. The transfer has drawn attention because North Korean troops have been deployed in support of Russia and because the soldiers’ handling involves questions of personal choice, international law and humanitarian treatment.
Cho separately met Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi in New York on the same day. During that meeting, Cho emphasized the need to guarantee free and safe passage for all vessels through the Strait of Hormuz and noted South Korea’s participation in international efforts to protect navigation there.
The waterway is strategically important to South Korea, which depends heavily on seaborne energy imports. President Lee Jae Myung said last week that the government must protect Korean citizens and national interests in the strait, while ruling out a troop deployment that could pull the country into an overseas conflict.
Cho and Araghchi also signed a bilateral prisoner transfer treaty, according to the ministry. The agreement added a practical legal dimension to talks otherwise centered on regional security and the protection of shipping routes.
Together, the meetings placed two pressing security issues on South Korea’s diplomatic agenda at the U.N.: sustaining assistance for Ukraine and safeguarding maritime access in the Middle East. Seoul’s approach emphasized continued international cooperation while drawing a line against direct involvement in armed conflict.