South Korea recalls ambassador from Ukraine, demands apology over Zelensky’s disclosure of North Korean POW transfer
South Korea will recall its ambassador from Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry announced.
The move comes amid a diplomatic scandal triggered by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s public statement that Kyiv had transferred two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea.
“We hope that various issues between the two countries will be resolved smoothly, and we will continue consultations with the Ukrainian side to that end,” South Korea’s Foreign Ministry announced.
South Korea insists that it and Ukraine had agreed not to disclose the transfer of the North Korean prisoners of war, and that Ukraine was the one that initiated the agreement.
South Korea is demanding an official apology from Ukraine over the incident. The Foreign Ministry announced earlier that during diplomatic consultations, remarks by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha “included an apology,” but Seoul considers the level of that apology insufficient.
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