Photo. Valentin Janiaut/flickr/CC BY 2.0
Amid growing tensions between Seoul and Kyiv, South Korea made the decision to recall its envoy to Ukraine. This is another result of the ongoing dispute regarding the transfer of North Korean prisoners of war between the countries.
Seoul announced the move in a press release on Thursday, after Foreign Minister Cho Hyun warned Kyiv of an upcoming firm reaction. „The government has decided to recall its ambassador to Ukraine,” reads the release. „The government hopes that all outstanding issues between the two countries will be resolved amicably and will continue consultations with the Ukrainian side towards this end.”
The recalled ambassador is Park Ki-chan, who has served as South Korea’s highest-ranking diplomat in Ukraine since February 2025. He is a specialist on Russia and has previously held diplomatic postings in Moscow, Warsaw and Belgrade.
The diplomatic dispute between the parties began on 23 September, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed during the general debate at the UN General Assembly session that two North Korean prisoners of war had been transferred to South Korea. The soldiers were captured by the Ukrainian military during fighting in Russia’s Kursk Oblast in 2025.
The matter was intended to be confidential, and President Lee Jae-myung accused Zelenskyy of breaching this secrecy. Ukrainian authorities denied the existence of a confidentiality clause. In response to Kyiv’s position, Seoul accused Ukraine of portraying President Lee as a „liar” and violating the dignity of the state. A public apology was demanded, which was delivered; however, as South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun stated, it failed to meet expectations. It was emphasised that the government in Seoul would take „firm action.”
South Korean news agency Yonhap assesses that the recall of the ambassador „represents the culmination of actions” related to this case. It adds that such a move „is recognised in international relations as one of the strongest forms of protest.”