'Diplomacy over emotions': Kyiv seeks to mend ties with Seoul as POW transfer spat continues
Ukraine says it remains open to constructive dialogue as South Korea recalls its ambassador amid a dispute over North Korean prisoners of war.
President Lee Jae Myung, right, shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of their summit at a hotel in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8.
YONHAP
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said "diplomacy should prevail over emotions" in response to the Korean government's decision to recall its ambassador to Ukraine.
"Despite Seoul's decision to recall its ambassador, Ukraine remains open to restoring a constructive dialogue, even if it takes time," Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said in a statement, according to an English-language version provided by Ukrainian authorities on Thursday.
"This week, we invited the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Ukraine to the Foreign Ministry to present our position and seek constructive solutions. The Ukrainian side's position was conveyed to him," Tykhyi said, referring to the full name of South Korea.
The two countries remain at odds over whether they had reached a confidential agreement concerning the transfer of North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea. The dispute arose from differing interpretations of a confidentiality agreement, Tykhyi said at a briefing Wednesday, according to Ukrainian media.
Asked about South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun's remarks that Ukraine had conveyed an apology through diplomatic channels, Tykhyi said Ukraine had expressed regret that the situation had escalated to the point of public criticism between the two countries.
Cho told a parliamentary audit of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee on Tuesday that South Korea had received a message from Ukraine that "also contained words of apology."
"But it fell somewhat short of what we had expected, so we intend to take firm action," Cho said.
Tykhyi said the situation has reached the point of public exchanges of remarks, which serve no one's interests, and that diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute were underway through private channels. He added that public remarks that could undermine diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute are inappropriate.
South Korea's Foreign Ministry said Thursday that it also hopes to resolve the matter.
"We hope to resolve all outstanding issues between the two countries amicably and will continue discussions with Ukraine toward that end,” the Ministry said.
BY JEONG HYE-JEONG [[email protected]]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
