Seoul to maintain Ukraine support despite NK POW dispute

South Korea will continue supporting Ukraine despite a diplomatic dispute over Kyiv’s disclosure of two North Korean prisoners of war transferred to the South. Seoul will separate assistance to Ukraine from the dispute while pursuing consultations to resolve outstanding issues. The dispute followed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Sept. 23 disclosure, which Seoul says breached a confidentiality arrangement. Kyiv denies that such an understanding existed.

South Korea recalled Ambassador Park Ki-chang to Seoul on Saturday after considering the move as one of several possible responses to the disclosure.

President Lee Jae Myung has demanded that Kyiv acknowledge the confidentiality arrangement and publicly apologize, warning of additional measures if it refuses.

Three European countries separately expressed hope that South Korea would continue supporting Ukraine and offered to help ease tensions, although the countries were not identified.

The foreign ministry said the European messages did not constitute expressions of concern and were delivered during separate high-level contacts rather than through a coordinated initiative.

Published Oct 15, 2026 5:43 pm KST

Updated Oct 15, 2026 6:16 pm KST

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gives a speech during the U.N. General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters New York, Sept. 23. UPI-Yonhap

South Korea will continue supporting Ukraine “as a responsible member of the international community” despite a diplomatic dispute over the disclosure of two North Korean prisoners of war being repatriated to the South, a foreign ministry official said Thursday.

The official said Seoul will treat its assistance to Ukraine separately from the dispute, while continuing bilateral consultations to resolve outstanding issues.

The remarks came after South Korean Ambassador to Ukraine Park Ki-chang was recalled to Seoul on Saturday, following a spat over Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s public disclosure of the transfer during his U.N. General Assembly speech on Sept. 23.

The ambassador’s recall was one of several options Seoul considered after the disclosure, which it says breached a confidentiality arrangement intended to protect the soldiers and their families in North Korea.

President Lee Jae Myung has demanded that Kyiv acknowledge the agreement and publicly apologize, warning of “additional measures” if it refuses. Kyiv has denied such an understanding existed.

Meanwhile, the foreign ministry official also said three European countries have expressed hope that South Korea would continue supporting Ukraine and offered to help ease tensions between Seoul and Kyiv. The countries were not identified.

The exchanges took place during separate high-level contacts with each country, rather than through a coordinated approach by the European governments.

While the official said the messages did not constitute expressions of concern, they could reflect unease that Seoul’s recall of its ambassador might weaken international cooperation in supporting Ukraine against Russia.

The unusual disclosure of high-level diplomatic exchanges could also be seen as an effort by the ministry to reaffirm South Korea’s commitment to continued assistance.

尽管基辅方面披露了两名朝鲜战俘被移交给韩国一事引发了外交争端，韩国仍将继续支持乌克兰。首尔方面将把对乌克兰的援助与这场争端分开处理，同时继续与乌克兰方面进行磋商以解决悬而未决的问题。这场争端源于泽连斯基总统9月23日披露此事，首尔方面称此举违反了双方达成的保密协议。基辅方面则否认存在这样的协议。

韩国在考虑了将召回驻首尔大使朴基昌作为对此次披露事件的几种可能回应措施之一后，于周六召回了朴基昌大使。

李在明总统要求基辅承认保密协议并公开道歉，并警告称，如果基辅拒绝，将采取进一步措施。

三个欧洲国家分别表示希望韩国继续支持乌克兰，并表示愿意帮助缓解紧张局势，但并未透露这三个国家的身份。

外交部表示，欧洲方面的信息并不构成关切之意，而且是在单独的高级别接触中传达的，而不是通过协调一致的倡议传达的。

发布于2026年10月15日下午5:43（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月15日韩国时间下午6:16

9月23日，乌克兰总统泽连斯基在纽约联合国总部举行的联合国大会上发表讲话。（图片来源：UPI-Yonhap）

韩国外交部一名官员周四表示，尽管因两名朝鲜战俘被遣返回韩国而引发外交争端，韩国仍将“作为国际社会负责任的成员”继续支持乌克兰。

该官员表示，首尔将把对乌克兰的援助与争端分开处理，同时继续进行双边磋商以解决悬而未决的问题。

此前，由于乌克兰总统泽连斯基在9月23日联合国大会上的讲话中公开披露了这一转移，韩国驻乌克兰大使朴基昌于周六被召回首尔。

首尔方面表示，此次泄露事件违反了旨在保护朝鲜士兵及其家属的保密协议，因此召回大使是首尔考虑的几个选项之一。

李在明总统要求基辅承认该协议并公开道歉，并警告称，如果基辅拒绝，将采取“进一步措施”。基辅方面否认存在这样的谅解。

与此同时，韩国外交部官员还表示，有三个欧洲国家希望韩国继续支持乌克兰，并表示愿意帮助缓和首尔和基辅之间的紧张关系。这三个国家的名称并未透露。

这些交流是在与每个国家分别进行的高级别接触中发生的，而不是通过欧洲各国政府的协调方式进行的。

虽然这位官员表示这些信息并不构成关切的表达，但可能反映出人们担心首尔召回大使可能会削弱国际社会在支持乌克兰对抗俄罗斯方面的合作。

这种不同寻常地公开高层外交交流的做法，也可以被视为韩国外交部重申韩国继续提供援助的承诺。