Foreign Ministers Cho Hyun of South Korea and Andriy Sybiga of Ukraine met in Seoul on June 30. Their goal was to discuss the legal and humanitarian situation of two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces.

南韓外交部長趙兌烈與烏克蘭外交部長 Andriy Sybiga 於 6 月 30 日在首爾會面。其目標是討論兩名被烏克蘭軍隊俘虜的北韓士兵之法律與人道主義狀況。

The discussion focused on two North Korean citizens captured in the Kursk region last January. Although Russia and North Korea have officially asked for them to be sent back, the prisoners have stated that they prefer to be transferred to South Korea, which would be considered a defection. The South Korean government claims these individuals should be under their care based on the constitutional idea that there is only one Korean nation. Furthermore, this request is supported by reports that North Korea orders its soldiers to commit suicide rather than be captured, and the prisoners themselves claim they would be killed if returned home.

討論重點在於去年 1 月在庫斯克地區被俘虜的兩名北韓公民。儘管俄羅斯與北韓已正式要求將其遣返，但這些囚犯表示他們更希望被移交給南韓，而這將被視為投誠。

In addition to the prisoners' status, the ministers discussed the wider political effects of the 2024 defense treaty between Moscow and Pyongyang. This agreement has allowed North Korea to send approximately 15,000 soldiers and 1,000 engineers to Russia, with Ukrainian intelligence estimating over 7,000 North Korean casualties. In return, North Korea has reportedly received money, energy, food, and military technology. Finally, the ministers emphasized the growth of relations between South Korea and Ukraine, noting that trade is nearly $1 billion and both countries are committed to security and reconstruction efforts.

除了囚犯的身份外，兩位部長還討論了莫斯科與平壤之間 2024 年國防條約所產生的更廣泛政治影響。該協議允許北韓向俄羅斯派遣約 15,000 名士兵及 1,000 名工程師，烏克蘭情報部門估計北韓有超過 7,000 人傷亡。作為回報，據報導北韓獲得了資金、能源、糧食及軍事技術。最後，兩位部長強調南韓與烏克蘭之間的關係日益增長，指出貿易額近 10 億美元，且兩國均致力於安全與重建工作。

Both nations have agreed to decide the status of the prisoners according to international humanitarian law and the personal wishes of the detainees.

兩國均同意根據國際人道主義法與被拘留者的個人意願，決定囚犯的身份。