Ukraine's foreign minister says Seoul is 'important country,' hopes to resolve diplomatic rift

Ukraine's foreign minister said he "sincerely" hopes to resolve the diplomatic strain with South Korea that followed President Volodymyr Zelensky's surprise public disclosure of the transfer of North Korean prisoners to Seoul.

Speaking to reporters at an event Thursday (local time), Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said he preferred not to call the matter an "incident," describing it instead as a "diplomatic misunderstanding," according to local outlets including RBC Ukraine. The conciliatory remarks from a senior Ukrainian official drew attention as the two countries remain at odds over whether they had agreed to keep the prisoner transfer confidential.

Sybiha then said "I sincerely hope this situation is resolved in the very near future, and we are working toward that," calling South Korea "an important country" for Ukraine.

He went on to say he "strongly hopes that the momentum, continuity and concrete results that we are genuinely building together with South Korea will continue."

RBC Ukraine said Sybiha had been in direct daily contact with his South Korean counterpart over the past several days.