South Korea to cut embassy staff in Kyiv after recalling ambassador amid dispute over North Korean POWs
South Korea will recall part of its diplomatic staff from Ukraine amid a scandal over the transfer of North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul, Yonhap reported.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said it made the decision because Kyiv had not taken “positive steps” to resolve the diplomatic conflict.
It also said ongoing Russian airstrikes are complicating efforts to protect its diplomatic staff.
The diplomatic scandal between South Korea and Ukraine began after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said publicly that Kyiv had handed over two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea. Seoul said the arrangement had been private, and that Ukraine itself had initiated it.
After the incident, Seoul demanded an official apology. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha offered it only during diplomatic consultations, not publicly, which South Korea considered insufficient. In early October, Seoul recalled its ambassador from Ukraine.
At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.
If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at reports@meduza.io.
To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.