South Korea to pull more embassy staff from Ukraine after POW row
South Korea says it will withdraw additional embassy personnel from Ukraine after Kyiv failed to provide what Seoul described as a constructive response to a dispute over two captured North Korean soldiers. The move comes after an earlier decision this month to recall South Korea's ambassador from Kyiv, deepening a diplomatic row linked to the war in Ukraine. A charge d'affaires will remain in the Ukrainian capital, along with consular staff, to keep diplomatic and citizen services operating.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
The South Korean foreign ministry said it had conveyed its position to Ukraine through multiple channels, but had not received a sufficient reply. Ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said the latest step was intended to help restore trust between the two countries and support an amicable resolution of the issue. He did not say how many staff members would leave, but said the decision was also shaped by persistent air strike threats across Ukraine, which have made it harder to guarantee staff safety.
The dispute escalated earlier this month after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the United Nations General Assembly that Ukraine had transferred the two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea. Seoul said the disclosure should have remained confidential because of the possible impact on the soldiers' families in North Korea. South Korea then summoned the Ukrainian ambassador and warned of further measures, signalling that the issue had moved beyond a single diplomatic complaint.
The row matters because it touches both wartime diplomacy and South Korea's legal and political position on North Korean nationals. Under South Korea's constitution, all North Koreans are considered citizens of the Republic of Korea, and those who reach South Korean territory and seek to defect are generally allowed to stay. That framework helps explain why Seoul reacted strongly to the public disclosure of the transfer, even though the prisoners were captured in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine.
Advert for a company owned by the publisher of 360LiveNews.
Ukraine has said diplomacy must prevail over emotions in relations between the two countries and has stated that it considers the situation resolved. South Korea's foreign minister, Cho Hyun, said earlier this month that Ukraine had sent a message including words of apology, but that it fell short of the level Seoul wanted. The comments suggest that both sides have tried to contain the fallout, even as the diplomatic consequences continue to spread.
What remains unclear is how many additional embassy staff will leave Ukraine and whether the two governments can narrow their differences without further steps. Seoul has not said whether more measures are being considered, and it is also unclear how long the reduced staffing arrangement will remain in place. For now, the charge d'affaires and consular staff will stay in Kyiv, while both sides continue to manage the dispute alongside the wider security risks created by the war.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
