South Korea, Poland vow united stance on North Korea, Ukraine war, defense cooperation
South Korea’s top diplomat stressed that North Korea must not be compensated for its illicit support of Russia’s war efforts in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, while also pledging Seoul’s continued humanitarian and financial assistance to Kyiv.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul reaffirmed this stance during his meeting with his Polish counterpart, Radoslaw Sikorski, on Wednesday in Polish capital Warsaw, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said Thursday.
Cho and Sikorski discussed bilateral relations, affairs on the Korean Peninsula, the war in Ukraine and other key regional and global developments during Cho’s visit to Poland. The visit marks the first by a South Korean foreign minister in six years and the first official visit by a South Korean foreign minister in 18 years at the invitation of the Polish foreign minister, according to Seoul.
Cho's trip to Poland, a country bordering Russia as well as Ukraine, to be followed by his visit to France, notably came against the backdrop of the US pushing Russia and Ukraine toward peace talks to end Russia's three-year war, while cutting off its military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
During the meeting, “Minister Cho stressed that North Korea must not receive any form of compensation for its illegal activities in the process of negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine,” the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said. Cho referred to North Korea’s dispatch of troops and weapons supplies to support Russia’s war efforts against Ukraine.
Seoul's Foreign Ministry said "both sides emphasized that North Korea's continued nuclear and missile development and provocations, as well as its illicit military cooperation with Russia, pose a threat not only to the Korean Peninsula, but also to global security, and strongly condemned such actions."
"Both agreed that South Korea and Poland, together with the international community, will continue a united and resolute response to achieve North Korea's complete denuclearization and the improvement of human rights," the ministry added.
In a separate statement, the Polish Foreign Ministry said, “much of the talks focused on the security situation in Europe and the Asia–Pacific.”
“Ministers Radoslaw Sikorski and Cho Tae-yul spoke about the Russo–Ukrainian war, including cooperation in supporting Ukraine. The strongly established position of South Korean companies in Poland provides a good basis for them to join the post-conflict reconstruction of Ukraine,” Poland’s English-language press statement read.
Cho underscored that South Korea “will continue to work with the international community including Poland to support the establishment of lasting peace and postwar reconstruction efforts in Ukraine,” according to the Foreign Ministry in Seoul.
“Minister Cho recognized Poland's active support for Ukraine as a neighboring country and affirmed that the Korean government will continue providing humanitarian and financial assistance to Ukraine,” Seoul added.
The two ministers also committed to further intensify security cooperation in the framework of the NATO-AP4 partnership, sharing the recognition that European and Indo-Pacific security are becoming more interconnected.
“Both ministers shared the recognition that the unprecedented scale of defense industry cooperation between the two countries has become a key pillar in the development of Korea-Poland relations,” Seoul said. “Both ministers agreed to continue pursuing defense cooperation unwaveringly as optimal strategic partners in defense and security.”
Cho particularly emphasized that the presence of the delegation from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, Korea's state-run arms procurement agency, during his visit to Poland “demonstrates intent to provide all-encompassing support at the whole government level to strengthening defense cooperation.”
“The two ministers also agreed to provide all possible support, including government-level consultations, to ensure the swift conclusion of the second implementation contract for K2 tanks, which is currently under negotiation between the two countries,” the Seoul ministry said.
The meeting concluded with the signing of the "Action Plan for the Implementation of the Strategic Partnership for 2025–2028" by the ministers, which sets the direction of sectoral cooperation between the two countries.
Cho also visited the 23rd Tactical Air Base in Minsk Mazowiecki, about an hour outside of Warsaw. The base has served as an operational hub for FA-50 deployments since 2023, with Korea Aerospace Industries personnel stationed to oversee maintenance and pilot training.
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com
