South Korea Recalls Ukraine Envoy Amid Prisoner Row
Seoul's ambassador to Ukraine is to be recalled following a dispute over Kyiv's disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean defectors.
South Korea has announced it will recall its ambassador to Ukraine, marking an escalation in a diplomatic dispute between the two nations. The disagreement stems from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's announcement that his government had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to Seoul.
Seoul asserts that Ukraine violated an agreement to keep the transfer confidential. However, Zelensky's office maintains that no non-disclosure agreement was in place. The two North Korean soldiers, reportedly among thousands supporting Russia in the Ukraine war, had expressed a desire to be relocated to South Korea.
South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo had previously lodged a formal complaint with his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Vieshkin, regarding the matter in September. More recently, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun indicated he had received an apology from his Ukrainian counterpart, but local reports suggested Seoul found it insufficient. Contradicting these reports, a Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated that Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had not issued an apology.
South Korea's Foreign Ministry released a statement indicating ongoing consultations with the Ukrainian side and expressing expectations for the resolution of outstanding issues. President Zelensky had revealed the transfer during a UN General Assembly speech in September, noting the difficulty in capturing the soldiers alive. This disclosure drew a sharp rebuke from South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who described it as "greatly disappointing" and a threat to national security. President Lee also faced domestic criticism, with opposition parties accusing him of attempting to conceal the transfer to placate Pyongyang.
Lee's office clarified that the confidentiality was partly intended to protect the soldiers' families and to prevent Kyiv from facing criticism for foregoing a potential prisoner exchange with Ukrainian POWs. Ukraine's office indicated that while the soldiers might be mentioned in Zelensky's address, the specifics of their transfer would not be divulged. The dispute intensified when Zelensky's office claimed there was no non-disclosure agreement between the two countries. Seoul subsequently demanded an apology from Ukraine for "announcing a falsehood," stating that the incident had significantly damaged trust between the nations.
South Korea has offered support to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion but has maintained a policy of not supplying lethal weapons to countries involved in active conflict. Following the deployment of North Korean troops to support Russia in 2024, Kyiv increased pressure on South Korea to provide advanced anti-air missiles. In July, Seoul announced a $100 million aid package for Ukraine, described by President Lee's office as an expansion of previous non-lethal assistance, which included helmets, body armor, and medical equipment. Russia's foreign ministry has warned of potential retaliation should South Korea provide arms to Ukraine, without specifying the nature of such actions. South Korea has historically sought to maintain relations with neighboring countries that may have differing stances from its ally, the United States, and has worked to deepen trade and diplomatic ties with Russia, viewing both Moscow and Beijing as important partners in efforts to influence Pyongyang.