South Korea to pull more embassy staff from Ukraine after POW row

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkLawmaker Yu Yong-weon of South Korea’s main opposition People Power Party explains pictures, showing two North Korean POWs who were recently transferred from Ukraine to South Korea, taken during his visit to a POW camp in Ukraine last February [File: Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters]By AFP and ReutersPublished On 20 Oct 202620 Oct 2026South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it will withdraw additional embassy personnel from Ukraine following Kyiv’s lack of “constructive response” in a dispute about North Korean prisoners of war (POWs).Seoul had told Kyiv of its position via multiple channels but had not received a sufficient response from Ukraine, ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said on Tuesday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3How Israel’s 2026 election workslist 2 of 3US-Ukraine relations sour as Trump, Zelenskyy clash over talks, armslist 3 of 3Alberta voters reject separation from Canada, early results showend of listEarlier this month, South Korea recalled its ambassador from Kyiv after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) that Ukraine had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to the South.The disclosure angered Seoul, which said the operation should have remained confidential to protect the soldiers’ families in North Korea.“This measure was taken because we judged it necessary to facilitate an amicable resolution of the issue and restore trust between the two countries,” Park told a regular press briefing, without saying how many staff members would leave.A charge d’affaires would stay on in Kyiv to maintain diplomatic communication along with all consular staff to protect South Korean nationals, Park added.Persistent threats of air strikes across Ukraine had also made it difficult to ensure staff safety, he said.Seoul previously summoned the Ukrainian ambassador and threatened unspecified “further measures”.‘Situation resolved’Ukraine has insisted that “diplomacy must prevail over emotions” in relations between the countries, and also said Kyiv considered “the situation resolved”.South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said earlier this month that Ukraine had sent a message that “included words of apology” over Zelenskyy’s disclosure, but it fell short of “the level” Seoul had in mind.Under South Korea’s constitution, all North Koreans are considered citizens of the Republic of Korea, as the country is officially known, and those who reach its territory and seek to defect are generally allowed to stay.