South Korea recalls ambassador from Ukraine

South Korea has decided to recall its ambassador from Ukraine amid an escalating diplomatic row between the two countries, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry has said.

The move comes after Vladimir Zelensky publicly announced Kiev’s transfer of two North Korean prisoners to Seoul during his address to the UN General Assembly in September. South Korea has insisted that the arrangement was supposed to remain secret, but the Ukrainian authorities have denied that such a precondition existed.

The servicemen in question were reportedly captured in January 2025 in Russia’s Kursk Region where North Korean troops helped the Russian forces repel a Ukrainian incursion.

The South Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday that the country’s envoy, Park Ki-chang, will be leaving Kiev and returning home.

The government in Seoul “hopes that various issues between the two countries will be resolved amicably and will continue consultations with Ukraine to achieve this,” the statement read.

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