South Korea recalls diplomats from Kyiv amid POW dispute
Seoul is withdrawing some embassy employees after a disagreement with Ukraine over the disclosure of a North Korean prisoner transfer. Consular services will continue operating in the country.
South Korea has decided to recall part of its diplomatic staff from Kyiv as tensions persist over Ukraine’s public disclosure concerning two captured North Korean soldiers. Radio Svoboda reported the decision on Tuesday, October 20.
Foreign Ministry representative Park Do-soon said Ukraine had yet to take positive steps toward resolving the disagreement. He also cited the danger of Russian air attacks and the resulting difficulty of protecting embassy personnel.
Seoul had already recalled its ambassador. Diplomatic engagement with Kyiv will now be overseen by an acting chargé d’affaires, while all consular employees are to remain in Ukraine.
The dispute followed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s announcement in late September that two North Korean prisoners of war had been handed over to South Korea. President Lee Jae-myung said the transfer was supposed to remain confidential and demanded a formal apology and an explanation. Kyiv attributed the disagreement to differing interpretations of the confidentiality arrangement.