South Korea recalls Ukraine ambassador in prisoner of war row

Seoul recalled its ambassador to Ukraine on Thursday, two weeks after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed the transfer of North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea, triggering a diplomatic spat.

“The government hopes that pending bilateral issues will be resolved smoothly and will continue consultations with the Ukrainian side to that end,” the South Korean ministry’s statement said.

On Sept 24, South Korean president Lee Jae-myung accused Ukraine of breaching a confidentiality agreement between Seoul and Kyiv after Zelenskyy disclosed the transfer of two North Korean soldiers to its neighbour to the south.

While Seoul publicly pledged to accept North Korean prisoners of war in 2025, Lee said the disclosure on such a “highly sensitive issue” may cause “many problems.”

Kyiv initially denied such an agreement existed according to Ukrainian media, while Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha later described the situation as a “diplomatic misunderstanding.”

His South Korean counterpart Cho Hyun said Tuesday Sybiha had issued an apology, but suggested it was insufficient. “Because there is some gap with the level we envisioned, we intend to take resolute measures,” he told South Korean lawmakers Tuesday, broadcaster SBS reported.

South Korea has been broadly supportive of Kyiv since the start of Russia’s full-scale war, which has also strengthened ties between Moscow and Pyongyang. Tens of thousands of North Korean soldiers have been sent to join Russian troops, and Zelenskyy claimed in June that Russia was seeking to bring more North Koreans to the conflict.