(LEAD) S. Korea to recall envoy to Ukraine amid dispute over disclosure of N.K. POWs

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(ATTN: ADDS more details from 5th para, additional photo) By Oh Seok-min

SEOUL, Oct. 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will recall its ambassador to Ukraine, the foreign ministry said Thursday, amid a diplomatic dispute over Kyiv's disclosure of the transfer of North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) to Seoul.

The Seoul government has demanded an official explanation and apology over Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's disclosure of the transfer of the two North Korean soldiers to Seoul, as well as a statement from his office denying that there had been an agreement to keep the matter confidential.

"The government has decided to recall its ambassador to Ukraine to Seoul," the ministry said in a release.

"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," it added.

The ministry did not elaborate further on the decision to recall Ambassador Park Hee-chang, though a senior official said the government has taken the issue seriously.

In this file photo, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun (R) and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha greet each other at a hotel in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8, 2026, ahead of the start of a summit between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (2nd from R) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (2nd from L). (Yonhap)

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.

Zelenskyy unexpectedly disclosed their transfer in an address to the U.N. General Assembly in New York last month.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has stressed that there had been an agreement from the outset to keep the matter confidential to protect the soldiers and their families, who remain in North Korea, noting that the Ukrainian side had first requested that the matter not be made public.

Last week, the foreign ministry called in Andrii Vieshkin, acting ambassador of Ukraine to South Korea, and expressed strong concern over Ukraine's denial of the confidentiality agreement, and called for an official clarification and apology.

Cho has said that he received a message from Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha that included an apology but that it fell short of Seoul's expectations, noting that the government intended to take "firm measures."

The Ukrainian side has not issued any official message so far.

South Korea has sought to resolve the dispute through diplomatic channels, while emphasizing the importance of maintaining its relations with Ukraine.

North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) captured by Ukrainian forces meet with a South Korean producer at a POW camp in Ukraine on Oct. 28, 2025, in this file photo released three days later by a Seoul-based group of North Korean defectors. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

graceoh@yna.co.kr (END)

Ukraine offers 'insufficient' apology over N. Korean POW disclosure: foreign minister

S. Korea says in communication with Ukraine over N.K. POW transfer disclosure

(LEAD) Foreign ministry calls in Ukrainian envoy as Kyiv reveals transfer of N. Korean POWs

(2nd LD) Lee says Ukraine disclosed transfer of 2 N.K. soldiers in breach of non-disclosure agreement

(LEAD) S. Korea to recall envoy to Ukraine amid dispute over disclosure of N.K. POWs

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（注：第五段新增更多细节及照片）作者：吴锡敏

首尔，10月8日（韩联社）——韩国外交部周四表示，由于基辅方面披露了将朝鲜战俘转移到首尔的消息，韩国将召回驻乌克兰大使。

首尔政府要求乌克兰总统泽连斯基就两名朝鲜士兵被转移到首尔一事作出正式解释和道歉，并要求其办公室发表声明否认曾达成过对此事保密的协议。

“政府已决定召回驻乌克兰大使回首尔，”外交部在一份声明中表示。

声明还表示：“我们希望两国之间的各种问题能够顺利解决，并将继续与乌克兰方面进行磋商，以实现这一目标。”

虽然外交部没有进一步详细说明召回朴熙昌大使的决定，但一位高级官员表示，政府已严肃对待此事。

这张资料照片显示，2026年7月8日，在韩国总统李在明（右二）和乌克兰总统弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基（左二）即将举行峰会之际，韩国外交部长赵显铉（右）和乌克兰外交部长安德烈·西比哈在土耳其安卡拉的一家酒店互相问候。（韩联社）

据韩国官员称，这两名朝鲜士兵于 2025 年 1 月在库尔斯克地区为俄罗斯作战时被俘，并于 9 月中旬抵达韩国。

泽连斯基上个月在纽约联合国大会上发表讲话时，出人意料地透露了他们的转移。

外交部长赵显铉强调，双方从一开始就达成协议，对此事保密，以保护仍留在朝鲜的士兵及其家属。他还指出，乌克兰方面最初要求不要公开此事。

上周，外交部召见了乌克兰驻韩国代理大使安德烈·维什金，对乌克兰否认保密协议表示强烈关切，并要求乌克兰做出正式澄清和道歉。

赵表示，他收到了乌克兰外交部长安德烈·西比哈发来的信息，其中包含道歉，但并未达到首尔的预期，并指出乌克兰政府打算采取“坚决措施”。

乌克兰方面至今尚未发表任何官方声明。

韩国一直寻求通过外交渠道解决争端，同时强调维持与乌克兰关系的重要性。

这张资料照片拍摄于2025年10月28日，地点是乌克兰的一个战俘营。照片中，被乌克兰军队俘虏的朝鲜战俘与一名韩国制片人会面。三天后，一个位于首尔的朝鲜脱北者团体公布了这张照片。（照片禁止出售）（韩联社）

graceoh@yna.co.kr (完)

乌克兰外交部长称，乌克兰就泄露朝鲜战俘信息一事提供的道歉“不够充分”。

韩国在与乌克兰就朝鲜战俘移交披露事宜的沟通中表示

（导语）基辅方面宣布移交朝鲜战俘，外交部召见乌克兰特使

（第二份法律声明）李表示，乌克兰违反保密协议，泄露了2名朝鲜士兵的转移信息。

（导语）韩国因朝鲜战俘信息泄露争议召回驻乌克兰大使