PPP slams diplomat withdrawal from Ukraine as 'emotional response'

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SEOUL, Oct. 21 (Yonhap) -- The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Wednesday criticized the Lee Jae Myung government's decision to withdraw additional diplomatic personnel from Ukraine, describing the move as an "emotional response."

The foreign ministry announced the decision on Tuesday, following the recall of its ambassador to Ukraine, amid an ongoing dispute over Kyiv's unilateral disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) to South Korea.

PPP floor leader Jeong Jeom-sig said the withdrawal decision was difficult to understand unless the government was steering its foreign policy away from the United States and other partner nations, and toward an alignment with North Korea, China and Russia.

"The government argues that the withdrawal of its diplomatic personnel is due to the threat of air strikes, but no one is going to take that at face value," Jeong said in a Facebook post.

"With the war in Ukraine dragging on for more than four years, why was the (withdrawal) decision made shortly after a dispute erupted over the transfer of North Korean POWs?" he asked.

Jeong then urged the Lee government to dismiss Unification Minister Chung Dong-young and Lee Jong-seok, director of the National Intelligence Service, to demonstrate that its foreign policy is not aligned with North Korea, China and Russia.

Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun, Rep. Na Kyung-won and other PPP lawmakers also denounced the government's decision, calling it "diplomatic self-sabotage."

People Power Party floor leader Jeong Jeom-sig (Yonhap)

PPP slams diplomat withdrawal from Ukraine as 'emotional response'

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首尔，10 月 21 日（韩联社）——主要反对党国民力量党（PPP）周三批评李在明政府决定从乌克兰撤回更多外交人员，称此举是“情绪化的反应”。

在基辅单方面宣布将两名朝鲜战俘移交给韩国后，韩国召回了驻乌克兰大使，双方就此存在持续争端。外交部于周二宣布了这一决定。

人民进步党党团领袖郑严实表示，除非政府正在改变其外交政策，使其远离美国和其他伙伴国家，转而与朝鲜、中国和俄罗斯结盟，否则很难理解退出该决定。

“政府辩称撤回外交人员是因为受到空袭威胁，但没有人会相信这种说法，”郑在脸书上发帖说。

他问道：“乌克兰战争已经持续四年多了，为什么在朝鲜战俘移交问题爆发争端后不久就做出了（撤军）决定？”

郑义宣随后敦促李光耀政府解除统一部长官郑东荣和国家情报院院长李钟硕的职务，以表明其外交政策与朝鲜、中国和俄罗斯不一致。

人民进步党议员尹相铉、罗京元等议员也谴责了政府的决定，称其为“外交上的自我破坏”。

人民力量党党团领袖郑严实（韩联社）

巴基斯坦人民党抨击巴基斯坦政府从乌克兰撤回外交官是“情绪化反应”