S. Korea withdraws 8 diplomatic personnel from Ukraine: FM Cho

SEOUL, Oct. 27 (Yonhap) -- Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Tuesday that South Korea has withdrawn eight diplomatic personnel from Ukraine amid a dispute over Kyiv's disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs).

Cho made the remarks during a parliamentary audit of the foreign ministry, saying that despite the partial withdrawal, he has continued communication with the Ukraine foreign minister to resolve the issue.

South Korea recalled its ambassador to Ukraine, Park Ki-chang, earlier this month and decided to withdraw some embassy personnel, citing Kyiv's failure to take steps to resolve the dispute and persistent threats of Russian airstrikes.

"Eight have been withdrawn so far," Cho said, adding that the withdrawal had been unavoidable given Ukraine's failure to adequately address the issue.

South Korea has demanded an official explanation, an apology and assurances against a recurrence after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly disclosed the transfer of two North Korean soldiers to South Korea during an address to the U.N. General Assembly in September.

His office then denied that there had been an agreement to keep the matter confidential, though Seoul has said the two sides agreed from the outset to keep the transfer secret to protect the soldiers and their families, who remain in North Korea.

Despite the withdrawal, Cho said essential personnel remained in Ukraine and were doing their utmost to protect South Korean nationals amid continued Russian attacks.

Asked whether the dispute could escalate to a level that would threaten diplomatic relations with Kyiv, Cho said it could reach that point if tensions continued to escalate.

"I have continued communicating with the Ukrainian foreign minister to resolve the issue as soon as possible," he said.

The minister also stressed that South Korea's broader support for Ukraine remained unchanged, saying Seoul continued to participate in Ukraine reconstruction conferences, provide humanitarian assistance and take part in international efforts aimed at ending the war.