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South Korea said on Thursday it will recall its ambassador to Ukraine, stepping up its protest against President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recent revelation of a supposedly secret transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul.
The South Korean announcement came days after its President Lee Jae Myung threatened to take unspecified punitive steps if Ukraine refuses to apologise over the revelation.
The Foreign Ministry in Seoul did not say when ambassador Park Ki-chang will be brought back home but acknowledged in a statement that it will continue consultations with Ukraine, adding that it hopes the dispute between the two countries would be resolved smoothly.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said Kyiv remains open to “constructive dialogue” despite Seoul’s decision to recall its ambassador.
“Diplomacy must prevail over emotions,” he said in comments to Ukrainian media outlets.
South Korea and Ukraine became embroiled in a diplomatic row after Zelenskyy spoke about the transfer of the North Korean soldiers during his UN speech on 23 September.
Seoul has accused Kyiv of violating a non-disclosure agreement on their transfer in mid-September, but Kyiv has denied agreeing to such a deal.
The soldiers were among thousands of North Korean troops deployed to support Russia’s war against Ukraine. Since their capture in early 2025, the soldiers had expressed their desires to resettle in South Korea, because they could face persecution if repatriated home.
South Korea had said it would accept them, because it legally regards the North as part of its territory and has a policy of accepting and financially supporting North Korean defectors.
South Korean officials said the non-disclosure agreement was made because they were concerned about the safety of the North Korean soldiers and their relatives in the North.
But many experts say South Korea’s liberal government likely also worries the disclosure of their arrival may hurt its efforts to improve ties with North Korea.
North Korea’s state media hasn’t commented on the soldiers’ transfer, but the North previously reacted with fury to major defections of its citizens, accusing South Korea of kidnapping them.
Pyongyang has shunned any talks with Seoul and the US and focused on bolstering its nuclear programme since 2019.
It’s unclear what other steps South Korea would take. Experts say maintaining good relations with Ukraine is in South Korean national interests because Kyiv could provide Seoul with intelligence about North Korea’s expanding cooperation with Russia and its battlefield experiences.
They say cooperation with Ukraine is important for South Korea’s partnerships with many Western countries supporting Ukraine over the war.
Observers say Zelenskyy disclosed the transfer of the North Korean POWs to expose the danger of North Korea’s military support to Russia as a way to win more international assistance.
South Korea has provided $445 million (€396 million) in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine since 2022. In July, Lee pledged $100 million (€89 million) in aid to Ukraine in a meeting with Zelenskyy.
Additional sources • AP