South Korea’s foreign minister reaffirms aid to Ukraine and urges safe Hormuz passage
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun pledged continued South Korean support for Ukraine and stressed the need for secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz after meeting Ukraine’s Andrii Sybiha in New York.
During bilateral talks on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met Ukraine’s Andrii Sybiha and pledged to maintain assistance for the Ukrainian people, building on a US$100 million non-lethal aid commitment announced at the NATO summit in Ankara. The meeting coincided with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s remarks about the recent handover of two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea.
Cho underscored the necessity of guaranteeing safe and unrestricted vessel movement through the Strait of Hormuz, noting Seoul’s participation in international security efforts. In a separate session the same day, Cho and Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi concluded a bilateral treaty on prisoner transfers. President Lee Jae Myung has earlier emphasized protecting South Korean citizens and national interests in the Hormuz corridor while ruling out any troop deployment that could draw the country into overseas conflict.
Why it matters
The talks signal South Korea’s ongoing diplomatic backing for Ukraine and its focus on maritime security in a key global shipping lane.
How this story developed
- Sep 18 South Korea and U.S. intensify talks over Seoul's U.S. investment project
- Sep 20 North Korea launched a suspected ballistic missile into the East Sea, prompting reports from Japan and South Korea, while the UN nuclear watchdog's resolution was rejected.
- Sep 20 A second projectile was identified as an unidentified type rather than a short‑range ballistic missile.
- Sep 21 South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi in New York for a trilateral discussion on economic and security issues.
- Sep 22 North Korean state media did not report the missile launches.
- Sep 22 The ministers released a joint statement reaffirming denuclearisation commitment and defence guarantees.
- Sep 23 South Korea has now selected the Encinal plant as the inaugural U.S. investment project.
- Sep 23 President Lee presented a three‑stage denuclearisation roadmap and pledged Seoul would help restart U.S.–North Korea talks.
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