Seoul Withdraws Diplomats from Ukraine as Two North Korean POWs Spark a Rift with Kyiv

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South Korea announced on Tuesday that it was withdrawing several staff members from its diplomatic mission in Ukraine amid a growing dispute over the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul. Kyiv disclosed the operation last month, angering South Korean authorities.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said the decision came as the continuing threat of air strikes across Ukraine made it difficult to ensure diplomatic staff’s safety.

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Ministry spokesman Park Do-sun said the recall of South Korea’s ambassador to Ukraine had received “no positive response from the Ukrainian side”. He added that Seoul had decided to withdraw some diplomatic personnel in view of the security risks.

Relations deteriorated after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced last month that the two North Korean prisoners of war had been transferred to South Korea. Seoul believed the operation should have remained confidential to protect their families in North Korea, which is known for taking retaliatory measures against defectors and their relatives.

The decision to withdraw staff came more than a week after South Korea’s ambassador to Ukraine returned home, following Kyiv’s failure to respond to Seoul’s demand for a formal apology over the “unilateral disclosure” of the transfer.

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Seoul had also summoned Ukraine’s ambassador and threatened unspecified “additional measures”. Kyiv, meanwhile, stressed that “diplomacy must prevail over emotions” before later declaring the matter “resolved”.

Earlier in October, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Ukraine had sent a letter containing expressions of apology for Zelensky’s disclosure of the transfer. However, they fell short of Seoul’s expectations.

Ukrainian forces captured the two North Korean soldiers in early 2025. They had been fighting with units sent by Pyongyang to support Russian forces in the war.

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Under South Korea’s Constitution, all North Koreans are considered citizens of the Republic of Korea, the country’s official name. Those who reach its territory and wish to defect are generally allowed to remain.

Disclosure of the transfer raised concerns about the two men’s safety and that of their families, particularly after South Korean media identified them and published photographs before their arrival in the South.

One prisoner told South Korean media that he had served in a reconnaissance unit and that some North Korean soldiers had received training in the use of Russian military equipment. He added that he had been conscripted at seventeen and had remained in service ever since.

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South Korea’s intelligence service said it believed Zelensky may have disclosed the transfer to rally public support within South Korea for supplying weapons to Ukraine.

South Korea has emerged as a major arms exporter in recent years, particularly since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, including through a multibillion-dollar weapons deal with Poland.

Nevertheless, Seoul has so far refrained from sending lethal weapons to Kyiv, citing domestic laws prohibiting military assistance to countries at war. North Korea’s deployment of troops to support Russia, however, prompted the South Korean government to consider providing defensive weapons to Ukraine.

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