South Korea to pull part of embassy staff from Ukraine over North Korean POW dispute
South Korea announced on 20 October that it will withdraw some diplomatic staff from its embassy in Ukraine, citing Kyiv's failure to resolve a dispute over the public disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war and the threat to Russian missile and drone attacks on the capital. All consular personnel stay in place and a chargé d'affaires will continue to run communications with Kyiv.
Key points
- South Korea announced the partial embassy staff withdrawal on Tuesday, 20 October, through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- One cited reason was Ukraine's failure to take constructive steps to resolve the dispute over the disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean POWs to Seoul.
- The other cited reason was the difficulty of keeping diplomatic personnel safe amid ongoing Russian airstrikes across Ukraine.
- The dispute began after President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly announced the transfer of the two North Korean POWs during a 23 September speech at the UN General Assembly.
- Earlier in October, South Korea recalled its ambassador to Ukraine, Park Ki-chan, who returned to Seoul on 10 October.
- A chargé d'affaires and all consular staff will remain in Ukraine to maintain diplomatic communication and protect South Korean citizens.
- South Korea claims Ukraine broke a non-disclosure agreement on the transfer; Ukraine denies any such agreement existed.
Why it matters
The partial pullout is the second punitive step Seoul has taken against Kyiv in this row, after recalling Ambassador Park Ki-chan earlier in October, and it widens a public split between two states that share an interest in countering North Korean involvement in Russia's war against Ukraine. Consular staff and a chargé d'affaires stay in place, so core functions and citizen protection continue, but the dispute turns on whether Ukraine broke a non-disclosure agreement over the POW transfer — a claim Seoul makes and Kyiv denies.
What happened
On 20 October, South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced it would withdraw some staff from its embassy in Kyiv. Spokesperson Park Doo-sun told a briefing that the decision was driven by Ukraine's failure to take constructive steps to resolve the dispute over the disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea, and by the difficulty of keeping diplomatic personnel safe in the conditions of Russian airstrikes on Kyiv and across Ukraine. Park Doo-sun did not say how many staff would be withdrawn or when. A chargé d'affaires and all consular personnel will stay in Ukraine to maintain communications and continue assisting South Korean citizens.
The underlying dispute dates to 23 September, when President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly disclosed the transfer of the two North Korean POWs during his speech at the UN General Assembly. South Korea says it had a non-disclosure agreement with Ukraine on the transfer and accuses Kyiv of breaking it; Ukraine's presidential office and communications adviser Dmytro Lytvyn deny any such agreement existed, arguing it would have been wrong to conceal where the prisoners were sent. Earlier in October, Seoul recalled its ambassador to Ukraine, Park Ki-chan, who returned to Seoul on 10 October. South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has accused Kyiv of making him appear a liar and of trying to provoke a conflict between the two Koreas, and has warned of further measures if Ukraine does not apologise. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has called the ambassador's recall temporary and said Seoul was informed in advance of Zelenskyy's announcement, while Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi has said Kyiv is open to constructive dialogue.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Most Ukrainian outlets frame the withdrawal as a concrete diplomatic action and lead with Ukraine's official position. They give prominent space to the foreign minister's characterisation of the earlier ambassador recall as temporary and to the claim that Seoul was warned in advance of Zelenskyy's announcement. They consistently carry the Office of the President's denial that any non-disclosure agreement existed, attributing it to communications adviser Dmytro Lytvyn, and several also quote former Ukrainian ambassador Valeriy Chaly's warning that the episode exposes weaknesses in Ukraine's own foreign-policy communication system.
How international sources describe it
English-language coverage from outlets such as ABC News and APA frames the withdrawal primarily through the North Korean POW row, foregrounding Seoul's accusation that Ukraine violated a non-disclosure agreement and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung's charges that Kyiv made him appear a liar and tried to incite a war between the two Koreas. Non-Ukrainian reporting tends to give less space to Ukraine's 'constructive dialogue' messaging and gives more weight to the security rationale for the partial pullout amid Russian airstrikes on Kyiv.
Where reporting differs
The central dispute is over whether a non-disclosure agreement on the transfer of the two North Korean POWs ever existed: South Korea asserts one was in place and accuses Ukraine of breaking it, while Ukraine — through the Office of the President and communications adviser Dmytro Lytvyn — denies any such arrangement was reached. Ukrainian sources also note a counter-narrative from Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha that Seoul was informed in advance of President Zelenskyy's UN General Assembly announcement, a claim not echoed in the South Korean briefing.
Background
In January 2025 Ukrainian forces captured two North Korean servicemen in the Kursk region; the soldiers later said in media interviews they hoped to resettle in South Korea out of fear of persecution if returned to the North. On 23 September President Zelensky announced the transfer of the two POWs to South Korea during his UN General Assembly speech. South Korea says the non-disclosure arrangement was intended to protect the soldiers and their relatives in North Korea; Ukraine denies any such agreement existed. Earlier in October, Seoul recalled its ambassador to Ukraine, Park Ki-chan, who returned to Seoul on 10 October.