Conservative opposition figures sharply criticized the government's decision to withdraw some staff from the South Korean Embassy in Ukraine, calling it "a diplomatic move made with North Korea in mind" and demanding that it be scrapped entirely.
Rep. Na Kyung-won of the People Power Party wrote on Facebook on the 20th that the government "beats around the bush about North Korea being the real main enemy, while treating Ukraine as if it were the main enemy," according to political sources on the 21st. She called the move "an extreme measure that cannot be explained unless Seoul has been compromised by North Korea."
Na said some in diplomatic circles read the decision as groundwork for restoring relations with Russia and North Korea. "If so, it is even more dangerous," she said. "Who will send the remaining North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea now? Did the government receive an order from North Korea to cut off the repatriation route for North Korean prisoners altogether?"
She stressed the strategic importance of security cooperation with Ukraine. "Ukraine is the only country that has fought North Korean troops directly and experienced North Korea's latest tactics and combat capabilities," Na said. "At a time when we must share its combat experience and military intelligence to prepare for a contingency on the Korean Peninsula, we are kicking away an invaluable security asset of our own accord."
She called on the government to "immediately halt its perilous bandwagon diplomacy that appeases the communist bloc, selling out the trust of the free world to gauge the mood of the North Korean regime," and to "completely scrap the decision to pull out of the embassy in Ukraine."
Rep. Han Dong-hoon, an independent lawmaker, joined the criticism, saying the decision could send the wrong signal to the international community. "Withdrawing from the embassy is one step short of severing diplomatic ties with Ukraine," Han wrote on Facebook. "To the international community, it will look like a declaration that South Korea is breaking ranks with the free and democratic world that stands against North Korea and Russia."
He added that the move "will draw resentment from all of Europe and will clearly hurt our chances of taking part in Ukraine's postwar reconstruction projects." He said, "It is bound to raise suspicions that we are doing this out of deference to North Korea, which is at war with Ukraine. This runs sharply counter to South Korea's national interest."
The government had earlier taken diplomatic protest measures, summoning Ukraine's charge d'affaires in Seoul and recalling South Korea's ambassador to Ukraine, saying Kyiv had violated a confidential agreement on the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war. When no change in Ukraine's position followed, it decided to withdraw some embassy personnel.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also cited the threat of air strikes across Ukraine and concerns over the safety of embassy staff as reasons for the decision. Even after the withdrawal, the ministry plans to maintain diplomatic communication centered on the charge d'affaires, while keeping all consular staff in place to continue protecting South Korean nationals abroad.