South Korea to Withdraw Some Embassy Staff From Ukraine Amid North Korean POW Disclosure Dispute
South Korea has decided to withdraw some diplomatic personnel from its embassy in Ukraine, the foreign ministry said on October 20. According to Yonhap News Agency, ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said at a regular press briefing in Seoul that Ukraine has not taken positive steps to resolve the diplomatic dispute over Kyiv's unilateral disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) to Seoul, and that continued Russian airstrikes across Ukraine have made it difficult to ensure the safety of diplomatic personnel. Officials said the staff being withdrawn amount to about half of the embassy's existing personnel.
The dispute stems from the transfer of two North Korean soldiers who were captured by Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region in January 2025 and later handed over to South Korea. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly disclosed the transfer in his address to the UN General Assembly on September 23. Seoul said the two sides had agreed to keep the matter confidential to protect the prisoners and their families, who remain in North Korea, and President Lee Jae-myung accused Ukraine of disclosing the information unilaterally. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said on October 7 that the disagreement stemmed from differing interpretations of the confidentiality arrangements.
Seoul summoned Ukraine's charge d'affaires in Seoul on September 28 over the disclosure, and recalled its ambassador to Ukraine, Park Ki-chang, on October 8 in protest. South Korea has demanded an official explanation and apology from Ukraine, but Kyiv has yet to formally respond to the demand.
Despite the partial withdrawal, South Korea will maintain necessary diplomatic communications with Ukraine through its charge d'affaires, while all consular personnel will remain in the country to continue efforts to protect South Korean nationals there, the ministry said. Park said Seoul had conveyed its position through various channels, called for sincere and positive steps from Kyiv, and aimed to seek an amicable resolution through close consultations.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Hoseoklee88, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (Central Government Complex Annex, Seoul)
