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.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga previously tried to downplay the falling out between Kiev and Seoul, calling it a “diplomatic misunderstanding” and said he was working to resolve it.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung warned last week that “if the Ukrainian government continues to refuse acknowledging the facts and issuing a public apology, we will take additional measures.”
Kiev’s violation of the non-disclosure agreement is “a matter concerning the dignity of the South Korean people and nation, which cannot be overlooked,” he said in a post on X.
Lee also accused Zelensky’s government of attempting to “bring war to the Korean Peninsula” through its actions.
The transfer of North Korean nationals to South Korea could escalate tensions between the two countries, which technically continued to be at war since the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. Pyongyang hasn’t yet issued any official comments on the matter.
South Korea has provided Ukraine with humanitarian and financial assistance since 2022, pledging another $100 million in July, but has stopped short of supplying weapons.