South Korea reduces diplomatic presence in Ukraine over POW dispute

South Korea has withdrawn additional staff from its embassy in Ukraine amid a dispute over North Korean prisoners of war, Yonhap reported.

The South Korean Foreign Ministry said the decision was made because it had not received a constructive response from the Ukrainian side regarding the North Korean POW issue.

The move comes several weeks after Seoul recalled its ambassador to Ukraine over the same situation.

The dispute between Ukraine and South Korea emerged following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s address to the UN General Assembly on September 23.

At the time, Zelenskyy said Ukraine had handed over to Seoul two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region in January 2025.

It was noted that South Korea had expected the information about the transfer to remain confidential. President Lee Jae-myung accused Ukraine of disclosing the information and said that the confidentiality was intended to protect the prisoners and their families, who remain in North Korea.

On October 7, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said the disagreement with South Korea stemmed from differing interpretations of confidentiality arrangements concerning the transfer of the two North Korean prisoners of war.

According to Tykhyi, the two sides had agreed in advance on the details of the transfer and began holding private negotiations through closed channels after the dispute emerged.

Image: depositphotos.com/Rateland

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