South Korea recalls ambassador to Ukraine amid North Korean POW disclosure row

South Korea has recalled its ambassador to Ukraine after a dispute over Kyiv's public disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war. The move marks a further escalation in a row that has been building since late September and now involves both governments' foreign ministries. Seoul says the disclosure should have remained confidential, while Kyiv rejects that claim.

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The South Korean foreign ministry said it was recalling ambassador Park Ki-chang and cited what it described as the unauthorised disclosure of information about the handover. It also said the embassy in Kyiv would remain open and that consultations would continue in an effort to resolve outstanding issues. Ukrainian officials have said there was no confidentiality agreement, with presidential adviser Dmytro Lytvyn saying it would be wrong to conceal what happens to particular prisoners.

The dispute centres on two North Korean soldiers captured while fighting on Russia's side in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at the United Nations General Assembly on 23 September that the men had been transferred, prompting concern in Seoul about the safety of their families in North Korea. South Korean officials have argued that the public disclosure could put relatives at risk, given the North Korean state's treatment of families linked to defectors or captured personnel.

The issue has become diplomatically sensitive because it sits at the intersection of the war in Ukraine, North Korea's support for Russia and South Korea's own security concerns. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung had warned of additional measures if Kyiv did not acknowledge a breach of confidentiality and apologise publicly. On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Seoul had received an apology from Ukraine, but that it fell short of what South Korea expected.

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Ukraine has described the matter as a diplomatic misunderstanding and said it hoped for a swift resolution. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has also expressed hope that the dispute can be settled through further talks. The disagreement has now moved beyond a single prisoner-handling issue and into a broader test of trust between two countries that have both been affected by Russia's war.

What remains unclear is how long the ambassador will stay in Seoul and whether the two sides can agree on a common account of what was discussed before the transfer became public. South Korea has said it wants the matter resolved through consultation, but it has not set out a timetable or conditions for ending the recall. The next developments will show whether the row stays contained or begins to affect wider cooperation between Seoul and Kyiv.

South Korea has recalled its ambassador to Ukraine after a dispute over Kyiv's public disclosure of the repatriation of two North Korean prisoners of war. The move marks a further escalation in a row that has been building since late September and now involves both governments' foreign ministries. Seoul says the disclosure should have remained confidential, while Kyiv rejects that claim.

The South Korean foreign ministry said it was recalling ambassador Park Ki-chan and cited what it described as the unauthorised disclosure of information about the handover. It also said the embassy in Kyiv would remain open and that consultations would continue in an effort to resolve outstanding issues. Ukrainian officials have said there was no confidentiality agreement, with presidential adviser Dmytro Lytvyn saying it would be wrong to conceal what happens to particular prisoners.

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The dispute centres on two North Korean soldiers captured while fighting on Russia's side in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at the United Nations General Assembly on 23 September that the men had been repatriated, prompting concern in Seoul about the safety of their families in North Korea. South Korean officials have argued that the public disclosure could put relatives at risk, given the North Korean state's treatment of families linked to defectors or captured personnel.

The issue has become diplomatically sensitive because it sits at the intersection of the war in Ukraine, North Korea's support for Russia and South Korea's own security concerns. South Korean President Lee Jae-myung had warned of additional measures if Kyiv did not acknowledge a breach of confidentiality and apologise publicly. On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Seoul had received an apology from Ukraine, but that it fell short of what South Korea expected.

Ukraine has described the matter as a diplomatic misunderstanding and said it hoped for a swift resolution. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has also expressed hope that the dispute can be settled through further talks. The disagreement has now moved beyond a single prisoner-handling issue and into a broader test of trust between two countries that have both been affected by Russia's war.

What remains unclear is how long the ambassador will stay in Seoul and whether the two sides can agree on a common account of what was discussed before the repatriation became public. South Korea has said it wants the matter resolved through consultation, but it has not set out a timetable or conditions for ending the recall. The next developments will show whether the row stays contained or begins to affect wider cooperation between Seoul and Kyiv.

South Korea has said it will recall its ambassador to Ukraine after a dispute over Kyiv's transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers to Seoul. The move marks a fresh escalation in a diplomatic row that began last month and has now drawn in both foreign ministries. Seoul says the transfer should have remained secret, while Ukraine says no non-disclosure agreement was in place.

The dispute centres on two North Korean soldiers who were captured in the war in Ukraine and later transferred to South Korea. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the transfer in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly in September, saying the men had not been easy to capture alive. South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo later lodged a formal complaint with his Ukrainian counterpart over the matter, according to the supplied report.

South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said earlier this week that he had received an apology from his Ukrainian counterpart, but added that it fell short of Seoul's expectations, according to local reports cited in the source material. On Wednesday, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had not apologised. In a statement on Thursday, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said it would continue consultations with the Ukrainian side and expected outstanding issues to be resolved smoothly.

The row matters because it touches on a sensitive issue for Seoul: the fate of North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. The two men were among thousands from North Korea supporting Russia in the war, and both had reportedly told local media that they wanted to be sent to South Korea. Their transfer became public only after Zelensky's announcement, prompting criticism in Seoul and raising questions about how the two governments handled the case.

President Lee Jae Myung described the disclosure as greatly disappointing and said the transfer was a highly sensitive issue affecting national security. His office said the matter had been kept confidential partly to protect the soldiers' families and also because Kyiv wanted the transfer kept secret to avoid criticism that it had missed an opportunity to exchange the men for Ukrainian prisoners of war. The issue also triggered domestic criticism in South Korea, where opposition figures accused the government of trying to cover up the transfer to appease Pyongyang.

The latest step suggests the dispute is now affecting broader ties between Seoul and Kyiv, even as both countries remain shaped by Russia's war and North Korea's support for Moscow. South Korea has said it will continue consultations, but it has not said how long the ambassador will be recalled or what conditions would end the row. What remains unclear is whether the two sides can agree on the facts of the transfer, and whether the diplomatic fallout will deepen if no compromise is reached.

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