SEOUL, Oct. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has decided to withdraw some diplomatic personnel from Ukraine amid an ongoing dispute over the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) to Seoul and persistent threats of airstrikes across the country, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.
The decision came as Ukraine has yet to take "positive steps" to resolve the diplomatic dispute over Kyiv's unilateral disclosure of the transfer of the North Korean POWs to Seoul, while continued airstrike threats have made it difficult to ensure the safety of diplomatic personnel, ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said at a regular press briefing.
Despite the partial withdrawal, South Korea will maintain necessary diplomatic communications with Ukraine, led by its charge d'affaires, Park said, adding that all consular personnel will remain in the country to continue efforts to protect South Korean nationals.
Earlier this month, the government recalled its ambassador to Ukraine, Park Ki-chang, as Seoul voiced regret over Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's public disclosure of the North Korean POW transfer.
The two soldiers were captured in January 2025 while fighting for Russia in the Kursk region and arrived in South Korea in mid-September, according to officials here.
Seoul has demanded an official explanation and apology from Ukraine over Zelenskyy's disclosure, as well as a statement from his office denying that there had been an agreement to keep the matter confidential.
North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) captured by Ukrainian forces meet with a South Korean producer at a POW camp in Ukraine on Oct. 28, 2025, in this file photo released three days later by a Seoul-based group of North Korean defectors. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
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