S. Korean FM stresses bilateral trust following meeting with Ukraine counterpart

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun stressed mutual respect and trust as the foundation for bilateral relations during his talks with Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha, the Korean foreign ministry said Tuesday. It was their first meeting since a deepening rift emerged between the two countries over Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's September disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) to South Korea. Their discussion took place on the sidelines of the Group of Seven Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in France on Tuesday (local time). "Cho stressed that mutual respect, trust and the faithful implementation of agreements between countries are fundamental prerequisites for developing bilateral relations, expressing hope that all pending issues between the two countries will be resolved amicably," the ministry said in a press release. The remarks are being interpreted as a repetition of the South Korean government’s demand for Ukraine to apologize for the disclosure, which Seoul claims the two sides had agreed to keep confidential. The ministry’s statement, however,