(2nd LD) S. Korea to withdraw some embassy staff from Ukraine amid N.K. POW dispute

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(ATTN: ADDS more info in paras 5-6, 11, 14-17) By Oh Seok-min

SEOUL, Oct. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has decided to withdraw some diplomatic personnel from Ukraine amid an ongoing dispute over the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) to Seoul and persistent threats of airstrikes across the country, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.

The decision came as Ukraine has not taken "positive steps" to resolve the diplomatic dispute over Kyiv's unilateral disclosure of the transfer of the North Korean POWs to Seoul, ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said at a regular press briefing.

Park also cited continued Russian airstrikes as another reason for the decision, saying they have made it difficult to ensure the safety of diplomatic personnel.

Despite the partial withdrawal, South Korea will maintain necessary diplomatic communications with Ukraine through its charge d'affaires, while all consular personnel will remain in the country to continue efforts to protect South Korean nationals there, the ministry said.

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)

Seoul has demanded an official explanation, an apology and assurances against a recurrence after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly disclosed the transfer and his office subsequently denied that there had been an agreement to keep the matter confidential.

Kyiv, however, has yet to formally respond to Seoul's demands. In protest, South Korea recalled its ambassador to Ukraine, Park Ki-chang, earlier this month.

"We had conveyed our position to Ukraine through various channels. But Ukraine had taken no positive steps despite those efforts," Park said, calling for "sincere and positive steps" in response to Seoul's previous requests.

Noting that the two countries remain in communication, the spokesperson said Seoul's goal was to "seek an amicable resolution through close consultations with the Ukrainian side."

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has said the two nations had agreed from the outset to keep the matter confidential to protect the soldiers and their families, who remain in North Korea. He also said Ukraine had initially requested that the matter not be made public.

Cho said he had personally received a message from Sybiha that included an apology but fell short of Seoul's expectations.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said, following South Korea's recall of its ambassador, that he considered the controversy "a closed matter," according to foreign media reports.

The two soldiers were captured in January 2025 while fighting for Russia in the Kursk region and arrived in South Korea in mid-September, officials here said.

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)

The ministry said the South Korean Embassy in Ukraine will continue measures to ensure the safety of South Koreans in Ukraine by providing safety updates and offering assistance to those wishing to evacuate.

The ministry declined to confirm the exact number of diplomatic personnel to be withdrawn, but officials said roughly half of the staff would leave Ukraine.

The personnel are expected to withdraw after helping evacuate around 85 South Korean nationals currently in Ukraine to neighboring countries.

"We will coordinate with the embassy to find the safest and most effective means of assisting South Koreans who wish to evacuate," Park said.

A Level 4 travel advisory, the highest level, remains in effect across Ukraine, where the threat of indiscriminate missile and drone attacks has recently increased.

On Monday, Russia launched 16 ballistic missiles and more than 200 drones in overnight attacks, damaging energy infrastructure and leaving more than 500,000 households without power, according to foreign media reports.

graceoh@yna.co.kr (END)

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这将使谷歌能够向您展示与您的搜索匹配或相关的韩联社新闻文章。

（注：第5-6、11、14-17段补充更多信息）作者：吴锡敏

首尔，10月20日（韩联社）——韩国外交部周二表示，由于朝鲜将两名战俘移送首尔一事与韩国持续发生争端，以及朝鲜不断威胁对韩国进行空袭，韩国决定从乌克兰撤回部分外交人员。

外交部发言人朴斗顺在例行记者会上表示，由于乌克兰没有采取“积极措施”来解决基辅单方面披露将朝鲜战俘移交给首尔一事所引发的外交争端，因此做出了这一决定。

朴槿惠还指出，俄罗斯持续不断的空袭也是做出这一决定的另一个原因，称这些空袭使得确保外交人员的安全变得困难。

韩国外交部表示，尽管部分撤军，韩国仍将通过其驻乌克兰临时代办与乌克兰保持必要的外交沟通，所有领事人员将继续留在乌克兰，努力保护在乌克兰的韩国公民。

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）

在乌克兰总统泽连斯基公开披露此次人员调动后，首尔方面要求乌克兰方面做出正式解释、道歉并保证不再发生类似事件。随后，泽连斯基的办公室否认曾达成过保密协议。

然而，基辅方面尚未对首尔的要求作出正式回应。作为抗议，韩国于本月初召回了驻乌克兰大使朴基昌。

朴槿惠表示：“我们已通过各种渠道向乌克兰传达了我们的立场。但尽管我们做出了这些努力，乌克兰仍未采取任何积极措施。”她呼吁乌克兰对首尔此前的要求做出“真诚和积极的回应”。

发言人指出，两国仍保持沟通，首尔的目标是“通过与乌克兰方面密切磋商，寻求友好解决”。

韩国外交部长赵显铉表示，两国从一开始就同意对此事保密，以保护仍留在朝鲜的士兵及其家属。他还表示，乌克兰最初也要求不要公开此事。

Cho表示他亲自收到了来自Sybiha的信息，其中包含道歉内容，但并未达到首尔方面的期望。

据外媒报道，在韩国召回其大使后，乌克兰外交部长安德烈·西比哈表示，他认为这场争议“已经结束了”。

据韩国官员称，这两名士兵于 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。

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）

该部表示，韩国驻乌克兰大使馆将继续采取措施，通过提供安全信息更新和向希望撤离的人员提供援助，确保在乌克兰的韩国公民的安全。

外交部拒绝确认将撤离的外交人员的确切人数，但官员表示，大约一半的工作人员将离开乌克兰。

预计这些人员在帮助将目前身处乌克兰的约 85 名韩国公民撤离到邻国后将撤离。

朴槿惠表示：“我们将与大使馆协调，寻找最安全、最有效的途径，帮助希望撤离的韩国公民。”

乌克兰全境仍维持最高级别的 4 级旅行警告，该国近期面临无差别导弹和无人机袭击的威胁。

据外媒报道，周一，俄罗斯连夜发射了16枚弹道导弹和200多架无人机，破坏了能源基础设施，导致超过50万户家庭断电。

graceoh@yna.co.kr (完)

韩国和乌克兰没有就何时公布朝鲜战俘遣返计划进行讨论：外交官

韩国坚持要求乌克兰就泄露朝鲜战俘信息一事道歉。

（导语）韩国因朝鲜战俘信息泄露问题与乌克兰发生争端，将召回驻乌克兰大使

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”。

（第二份声明）李警告称，如果乌克兰拒绝就朝鲜战俘转移信息披露争议道歉，将采取“额外措施”。

（第二条）韩国将因朝鲜战俘争议从乌克兰撤回部分使馆人员