"I can confidently say that the space for our diplomacy will expand after the end of the war when it comes to the relations with Russia," the official was quoted as saying at a press conference by the South Korean news agency Newsis.
The official conceded that it would be "difficult to restore relations immediately after the end of hostilities," since much would depend on facts on the ground in Ukraine. Seoul plans to see how the situation evolves post-conflict before taking action, they added.
The official said it was "highly unrealistic to expect an improvement in relations" and a meaningful dialogue at a time when North Korea was allegedly preparing to get involved in the conflict. Despite this, Seoul does not see the need to supply weapons to Ukraine, they said.
Commenting on US President-elect Donald Trump's pledge to end the conflict soon, the South Korean official said that Seoul and Washington were expected to coordinate their policies while the new US administration took shape.
Russian Ambassador to South Korea Georgy Zinoviev said in an interview to Yonhap news agency in February that relations between the two countries were "not as good as we hope them to be" but nowhere near "rock bottom." He said Russia was ready to take the path toward reconciliation but expected the same mindset from South Korean officials.