S. Korean ambassador to Ukraine returns home amid dispute over N.K. POW disclosure
Quick Look
- South Korea recalled its ambassador to Ukraine after Kyiv disclosed the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul, violating an alleged non-disclosure agreement.
- Ambassador Park Ki-chang returned home following the protest recall, with Seoul stating the breach occurred during Zelenskyy's UN address.
- Kyiv denies any such agreement existed.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
South Korea recalled its ambassador to Ukraine after Kyiv disclosed the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul, allegedly violating a non-disclosure agreement. The soldiers were captured in January 2025 while fighting for Russia in the Kursk region and arrived in South Korea in mid-September. Seoul claims the agreement was made at Ukraine's request to protect the soldiers' families in North Korea.
SEOUL, Oct. 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's ambassador to Ukraine returned home Saturday after being recalled in protest of Kyiv's disclosure of the transfer of North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) to Seoul, the foreign ministry said.
Ambassador Park Ki-chang arrived two days after the foreign ministry announced the recall in response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's disclosure of the transfer and Kyiv's subsequent denial that it had agreed with Seoul to keep the matter confidential.
The two North Korean soldiers were captured in January 2025 while fighting for Russia in the Kursk region and arrived in South Korea in mid-September, according to officials here.
Seoul has said a non-disclosure agreement was reached with Kyiv at Ukraine's request to protect the soldiers and their families, who remain in North Korea, and that Zelenskyy breached the agreement when he revealed the transfer during an address to the U.N. General Assembly in New York last month.
Kyiv has said there was no such agreement.
It is rare for the government to recall an ambassador as a form of protest, and the last time South Korea did so was in 2008, when it recalled its envoy to Japan.
"We hope that various issues between the two countries will be resolved smoothly, and we will continue consultations with the Ukrainian side to that end," the foreign ministry said Thursday while announcing the recall.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
South Korea and Ukraine will engage in diplomatic consultations to resolve the dispute over the alleged non-disclosure agreement
Likely · Within weeks
The recalled ambassador will return to his post in Ukraine once the diplomatic issue is resolved
Possible · Within months
Open Questions
- Whether a formal non-disclosure agreement existed between South Korea and Ukraine regarding the POW transfer
- What specific protections were sought for the North Korean soldiers' families remaining in North Korea
- How this diplomatic dispute will affect future cooperation between South Korea and Ukraine on POW or humanitarian matters
- Whether North Korea will respond to the revelation of its soldiers' capture and transfer
