South Korea recalls Ukraine envoy over prisoner-of-war row

South Korean officials announced on Thursday that they would recall Ukraine’s ambassador to Seoul after a diplomatic clash erupted over the public disclosure of two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces and transferred to South Korea. The transfer, revealed by President Volodymyr Zelensky at a United Nations General Assembly speech in September, broke a secrecy arrangement that Seoul says was agreed upon with Kyiv, prompting a formal complaint from Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon‑joo to his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Vieshkin. President Lee Jae‑myung denounced the episode as “greatly disappointing,” calling the matter highly sensitive for national security, while the Ukrainian side insists no non‑disclosure pact existed and that the soldiers’ identities were not meant to be hidden, only the fact of their transfer.

The incident has strained the otherwise supportive relationship between Seoul and Kyiv, which has been bolstered by a $100 million assistance package announced by South Korea in July that expands non‑lethal aid such as helmets, body armour and medical supplies. Kyiv’s request for South Korea to provide advanced anti‑air missiles to protect Ukrainian energy infrastructure has been rebuffed, as Seoul adheres to its long‑standing policy of not supplying lethal weapons to nations engaged in active conflict. The North Korean captives, among thousands sent by Pyongyang to fight for Russia, had reportedly asked to be sent to South Korea, a request that added a humanitarian dimension to the diplomatic row.

Seoul’s foreign ministry said it would continue consultations with Kyiv, hoping to resolve “various outstanding issues” smoothly, while demanding a more satisfactory apology from Ukraine after the latter’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Heorhii Tykhyi, denied that Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had offered one. The episode has drawn domestic criticism of President Lee, with opposition parties accusing him of covering up the transfer to appease Pyongyang, even as his office argued the secrecy protected the soldiers’ families and avoided criticism that Kyiv had missed an opportunity to exchange the captives for Ukrainian prisoners of war. Meanwhile, Russia’s foreign ministry warned of retaliation if South Korea supplies arms to Ukraine, underscoring the delicate balance Seoul seeks to maintain in its broader strategy of fostering cordial ties with both Moscow and Beijing while navigating its alliance with the United States.

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