S. Korean ambassador to Ukraine returns home amid dispute over NK POW disclosure

South Korea’s ambassador to Ukraine returned home Saturday after Seoul recalled him over Kyiv’s disclosure of two North Korean prisoners of war transferred to South Korea. Ambassador Park Ki-chang arrived two days after the recall announcement. Seoul said Ukraine breached an understanding to keep the transfer confidential, while Kyiv denied such an agreement existed.

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.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed the transfer during an address to the U.N. General Assembly in New York last month.

Seoul said confidentiality was requested to protect the soldiers and their families, who remain in North Korea.

South Korea’s recall of its ambassador as a protest was described as rare, with the previous such action occurring in 2008 involving its envoy to Japan.

Published Oct 10, 2026 11:40 am KST

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, right, holds talks with his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, second from left, in New York, Sept. 23, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs

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.

韩国驻乌克兰大使朴基昌周六返回韩国。此前，首尔方面因基辅方面泄露两名朝鲜战俘被移送至韩国的消息而将其召回。朴基昌大使在召回令发布两天后抵达韩国。首尔方面称，乌克兰违反了双方就战俘移送保密达成的协议，而基辅方面则否认存在此类协议。

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。

乌克兰总统泽连斯基上个月在纽约联合国大会上发表讲话时透露了这一消息。

首尔方面表示，要求保密是为了保护仍留在朝鲜的士兵及其家属。

韩国召回大使以示抗议的做法实属罕见，上一次采取此类行动是在 2008 年，当时韩国召回了驻日大使。

发布于2026年10月10日上午11:40（韩国标准时间）

9月23日，在纽约联合国大会期间，韩国外交部长赵显铉（右）与乌克兰外长安德烈·西比哈（左二）举行会谈。图片由韩国外交部提供。

韩国外交部表示，韩国驻乌克兰大使周六返回韩国，此前他因抗议基辅方面披露朝鲜战俘被转移至首尔一事而被召回。

在韩国外交部宣布召回大使两天后，朴基昌大使抵达韩国。此前，乌克兰总统泽连斯基披露了此次调动，而基辅方面随后否认曾与首尔达成协议对此事保密。

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。

首尔方面表示，应乌克兰的要求，与基辅达成了一项保密协议，以保护仍留在朝鲜的士兵及其家属；泽连斯基上个月在纽约联合国大会上发表讲话时透露了这一转移，违反了该协议。

基辅方面表示，根本不存在这样的协议。

政府很少会以召回大使的方式进行抗议，韩国上一次这样做是在 2008 年，当时它召回了驻日本大使。

“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，”外交部周四在宣布召回时表示。