South Korea announced on Thursday that it had recalled its ambassador to Ukraine, amid a worsening diplomatic dispute over the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, in a statement, that “the government decided to recall its ambassador to Ukraine,” according to Agence France-Presse.
She continued: “The government hopes to settle all outstanding issues between the two countries amicably, and will continue consultations with the Ukrainian side to achieve this goal.”
Last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed before the United Nations General Assembly that his country had handed over two North Korean soldiers to Seoul after they were captured while fighting with the Russian army.
This angered South Korea, which considered that Zelensky had violated an agreement to guarantee confidentiality in this file. Seoul summoned the Kiev ambassador and threatened to take “additional measures,” the nature of which was not specified, while President Lee Jae-myung demanded an official apology, due to fears that revealing the information would endanger the families of prisoners of war.
In Kiev, a Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman told reporters: “We are convinced that diplomacy must trump emotion,” expressing his hope for a “constructive dialogue” with Seoul. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sipha described the incident as a “diplomatic misunderstanding.”
The United Nations reported, in a statement on Thursday, that at least 52 women and one girl were arrested or briefly detained in the Afghan cities of Herat and Kabul between July and September 2026.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) explained that these incidents are linked to allegations of violations of the dress code imposed by the Taliban authorities.
The mission added: “The women were detained for not wearing a chador (head covering), or for showing their hair, or for wearing colorful scarves and using cosmetics, or for being in public places without a mahram.”
According to UNAMA, the detained women were released after several hours, and the mission warned that the number of cases may be higher due to a lack of reports.
UNAMA said that these detentions violate the rights of women and girls to freedom of movement, expression, and independence, and expose them to severe social stigma in traditional Afghan society.
The Taliban denies imposing a complete ban on women's activities, pointing out the existence of religious schools for girls, and stressing that women work in fields that require their presence, in addition to running private businesses.
The South Korean Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that the government will take legal action if it is confirmed that fuel shipments have been sent to Russia illegally, following a media report based on an analysis of port records and ship tracking data.
The ministry explained that it had not yet confirmed whether South Korean fuel, including diesel, had been exported to Russia.
She added that exports of some products referred to in a Guardian newspaper report, such as diesel and commercial jet fuel, are not included in the South Korean export control list to Russia.
