South Korea to pull more embassy staff from Ukraine after POW row

Earlier this month, South Korea recalled its ambassador from Kyiv after Zelenskyy disclosed the prisoner transfer.

Al Jazeera2026-10-20 09:26查看原文 ↗

Earlier this month, South Korea recalled its ambassador from Kyiv after Zelenskyy disclosed the prisoner transfer.

Lawmaker Yu Yong-weon of South Korea’s main opposition People Power Party explains pictures, showing two North Korean POWs who were recently transferred from Ukraine to South Korea, taken during his visit to a POW camp in Ukraine last February [File: Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters]

South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it will withdraw additional embassy personnel from Ukraine following Kyiv’s lack of “constructive response” in a dispute about North Korean prisoners of war (POWs).

Seoul had told Kyiv of its position via multiple channels but had not received a sufficient response from Ukraine, ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said on Tuesday.

list 1 of 3 How Israel’s 2026 election works

list 2 of 3 US-Ukraine relations sour as Trump, Zelenskyy clash over talks, arms

list 3 of 3 Alberta voters reject separation from Canada, early results show

Earlier this month, South Korea recalled its ambassador from Kyiv after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) that Ukraine had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to the South.

The disclosure angered Seoul, which said the operation should have remained confidential to protect the soldiers’ families in North Korea.

“This measure was taken because we judged it necessary to facilitate an amicable resolution of the issue and restore trust between the two countries,” Park told a regular press briefing, without saying how many staff members would leave.

A charge d’affaires would stay on in Kyiv to maintain diplomatic communication along with all consular staff to protect South Korean nationals, Park added.

Persistent threats of air strikes across Ukraine had also made it difficult to ensure staff safety, he said.

Seoul previously summoned the Ukrainian ambassador and threatened unspecified “further measures”.

‘Situation resolved’

Ukraine has insisted that “diplomacy must prevail over emotions” in relations between the countries, and also said Kyiv considered “the situation resolved”.

South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said earlier this month that Ukraine had sent a message that “included words of apology” over Zelenskyy’s disclosure, but it fell short of “the level” Seoul had in mind.

Under South Korea’s constitution, all North Koreans are considered citizens of the Republic of Korea, as the country is officially known, and those who reach its territory and seek to defect are generally allowed to stay.

本月初，泽连斯基披露了囚犯转移事件后，韩国召回了驻基辅大使。

韩国主要反对党国民力量党议员俞永元解释了照片，照片显示的是两名最近从乌克兰转移到韩国的朝鲜战俘，这些照片是他去年2月访问乌克兰战俘营时拍摄的。[图片：金洪基/路透社]

韩国外交部表示，由于基辅方面在朝鲜战俘问题上缺乏“建设性回应”，韩国将从乌克兰撤回更多使馆人员。

韩国外交部发言人朴斗顺周二表示，首尔已通过多种渠道向基辅表明了其立场，但尚未收到乌克兰方面的充分回应。

列表 1/3：以色列 2026 年大选运作方式

（共3条）美乌关系恶化，特朗普与泽连斯基在会谈和军备问题上发生冲突（第2条）

初步结果显示，阿尔伯塔省选民否决了脱离加拿大的提案，名单中第三份（共3份）显示。

本月初，韩国总统泽连斯基在联合国大会上表示，乌克兰已将两名被俘的朝鲜士兵移交给韩国，之后韩国召回了驻基辅大使。

这一披露激怒了首尔方面，首尔方面表示，为了保护朝鲜士兵的家属，此次行动本应保密。

朴槿惠在例行记者会上表示：“我们采取这一措施是因为我们认为有必要促进友好解决问题，并恢复两国之间的信任。”但她没有透露将有多少工作人员离职。

朴槿惠补充说，将有一名临时代办留在基辅，与所有领事人员一起保持外交沟通，以保护韩国国民。

他还表示，乌克兰境内持续不断的空袭威胁也使得保障员工安全变得困难。