South Korea to withdraw some embassy staff from Kyiv amid North Korean POW disclosure dispute

The announcement comes less than two weeks after South Korea said it was recalling its ambassador to Ukraine, deepening the diplomatic rift.

South Korea will pull some embassy staff out of Ukraine, citing Kyiv’s failure to take constructive steps to resolve a weekslong dispute sparked by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) to the South, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. The decision adds pressure on Kyiv after Seoul recalled Ambassador Park Ki-chang on Oct. 10 over its refusal to acknowledge a confidentiality agreement on the transfer and issue a public apology. “The government decided to withdraw some embassy staff, considering Kyiv’s failure to take constructive steps even after our ambassador’s recall, along with persistent airstrike threats across Ukraine that make it difficult to ensure their safety,” foreign ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said at a regular briefing. A ministry offcial said 84 Koreans are in Ukraine, including embassy staff, but did not say how many worked at the embassy and how many of them would leave. He explained that the timing of the partial withdrawal would depend on safety conditions and progress in consultation

SEOUL, Oct. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has decided to withdraw some diplomatic p...

South Korea says it will withdraw some staff from its embassy in Kyiv, deepening a diplomatic row over Ukraine’s announcement last month of a transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war that Seoul says was meant to be secret

South Korea says it will withdraw some staff from its embassy in Kyiv, deepening a diplomatic row over Ukraine’s announcement last month of a transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war that Seoul says was meant to be secret

Seoul has recalled diplomatic personnel from Kyiv, citing Ukraine's failure to resolve disputes over disclosing North Korean POW transfers and ongoing air strike threats.

South Korea decided to withdraw some embassy staff from Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday, citing Kyiv’s failure to take steps to resolve a weekslong diplomatic dispute and persistent airstrike threats across the war-torn country. The move marks a further escalation in the diplomatic row, after Seoul last week recalled its ambassador to Ukraine, Park Ki-chang, over Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s public disclosure on Sept. 23 of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea. “We have conveyed our government’s position to Ukraine through various channels, but judged that it has not taken constructive steps,” a ministry spokesperson said during a regular briefing. “The decision was made after comprehensively considering the circumstances, including the continuing risk of airstrikes throughout Ukraine.” The spokesperson did not specify how many staff members would leave or when the withdrawal would take place. He said necessary diplomatic communication will continue through the chargé d’affaires. All personnel providing consu

SEOUL, Oct. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has decided to withdraw some diplomatic p...

South Korea has decided to withdraw some staff from its embassy in Ukraine in an escalating spat over Kyiv’s disclosure it had transferred North Korean prisoners of war to the South.

South Korea will withdraw some staff from its embassy in Ukraine as a diplomatic dispute escalates over Kyiv’s disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul, despite Ukraine’s insistence that the matter has been resolved.

Ukraine has insisted that "diplomacy must prevail over emotions" in relations between the countries and that they consider "the situation resolved".

SEOUL, Oct. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has decided to withdraw some diplomatic p...

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