President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said on 3 September 2025 in Kyiv that Ukraine could follow a path similar to South Korea, achieving prosperity despite the absence of a full peace treaty. However, he warned that Russia represents a far greater threat than North Korea. He made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Le Point, conducted by Étienne Gernelle and Julien Peyron in his office on Bankova Street, reports The WP Times.

South Korea’s example of prosperity without peace

Reflecting on the end of the Korean War, Zelensky said South Korea’s trajectory was proof that democratic values could prevail over authoritarian decline.

“The development of South Korea cannot be compared with North Korea, where there is a real deterioration in economic and civilisational conditions. South Korea made a leap forward in civilisational, technological and economic terms because it cultivates humanism,” he explained.

“Everything is possible” – but alliances matter

Asked if Ukraine could take a similar path, Zelensky replied: “Everything is possible.” At the same time, he underlined that South Korea’s prosperity has been guaranteed by the protection of the United States.

“So everything is relative: South Koreans still take risks. Their economy is flourishing, and they are protected by an alliance, but as long as North Korea remains as it is, as long as the nature of its leadership does not change, South Korea will never be completely safe,” Zelensky said.

Russia’s threat “five to ten times greater”

Zelensky stressed that comparisons to Korea have their limits, noting the disparity in scale. North Korea has a population of just over 20 million, while Russia’s exceeds 140 million.

“It is impossible to compare the scale of these threats. The threats from Russia are five, six, or even ten times greater. An identical copy of the South Korean model is unlikely to fit Ukraine in terms of security. But its economic model is a good example,” the president concluded.

The interview, published in Le Point on 3 September 2025, comes at what Zelensky described as a decisive moment for Ukraine as the war launched by Vladimir Putin continues to rage.

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Photo Volodymyr Zelensky / Facebook