South Korea to recall Ukraine envoy amid dispute over transfer of soldiers

South Korea will recall its ambassador to Ukraine, the foreign minister said on Thursday, following a dispute over President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s announcement that two North Korean prisoners of war were being transferred to Seoul. The two sides have been locked in a dispute after Seoul accused Kyiv of breaching a confidentiality agreement over the transfer of the captured soldiers. South Korea’s foreign ministry said it hoped current issues between the two countries could be resolved and that it would continue negotiations with Kyiv, without elaborating. In Kyiv, a Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said it was open to renewing a constructive dialogue with South Korea despite Seoul’s decision to recall the ambassador. The spokesperson said the South Korean envoy was invited to the ministry this week to hear the Ukrainian position on the matter. “We believe that diplomacy should prevail over emotions,” the spokesperson said. “Despite Seoul’s decision to recall its ambassador, Ukraine remains open to resuming constructive dialogue, even if it will take some time.” Last week, President Lee Jae Myung said South Korea would take additional measures if Ukraine continued to deny the existence of an agreement related to the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war and urged Kyiv to acknowledge the agreement and apologise. Lee also expressed grave regret over Ukraine’s response. Also last week, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that Kyiv was undertaking diplomatic efforts to put the “misunderstanding” behind the two countries, and a ministry spokesperson told reporters that the dispute was rooted in a “difference in interpreting the agreements on confidentiality”.