Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during the 81st session of the U.N. General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, New York, on Sept. 23, 2026. Seth Wenig/AP Photo
South Korea is withdrawing further personnel from its embassy in Kyiv, Seoul announced on Tuesday, saying Ukraine had failed to take “positive steps” toward resolving an ongoing dispute regarding the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war (POWs).
The move follows the recall of the South Korean ambassador to Kyiv on Oct. 8 as the two nations remain at loggerheads over Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s revelation at the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) in September that a pair of North Korean POWs captured by Ukraine had been sent to South Korea.
Seoul says there was an understanding that the repatriation would remain secret, while Kyiv maintains no such agreement was in place.
South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Park Doo-soon said Seoul had “conveyed our position to Ukraine through various channels. But Ukraine had taken no positive steps despite those efforts,” South Korean news agency Yonhap reported on Oct. 20.
Park also said that the persistent threat of Russian airstrikes across Ukraine had played a role in the decision to withdraw more diplomatic staff, adding that Seoul and Kyiv remain in communication and that the goal was to “seek an amicable resolution through close consultations with the Ukrainian side.”
Seoul had communicated its position to Ukraine through multiple channels but had not received a satisfactory response from Kyiv, Park said.
Park did not reveal the number of staff being recalled, adding that a chargé d’affaires would remain in Kyiv to maintain diplomatic communication, along with all consular staff, to protect South Koreans in the country.
The Epoch Times contacted the foreign ministries of both South Korea and Ukraine but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told RBC-Ukraine on Oct. 12 that Kyiv considers the matter “closed,” saying the row stemmed from the two nations’ differing interpretations of the confidentiality arrangements during the POW transfer process.
He also stressed that Ukraine had fulfilled all its obligations, saying the return of the prisoners to Seoul had been a goodwill gesture.
“Ukraine complies with the Geneva Conventions. Ukraine respects South Korea’s Constitution, under which these individuals are considered South Korean citizens. That is why we made this decision,” Sybiha said, adding that he still believes the two nations have “a very promising, mutually beneficial future ahead.”
The two North Korean troops were among thousands deployed by Pyongyang to support Russia in the Ukraine war.
Ukrainian forces captured the two North Koreans in Russia’s Kursk region in January 2025, with Zelenskyy at the time describing the pair as the first North Korean soldiers to be captured alive since Pyongyang sent troops to fight alongside Moscow’s forces.
According to the South Korean Defense Intelligence Agency, North Korea has
more than 16,000 troops to Russia since October 2024, many of whom were believed to have been killed or injured.
The participation of North Korean soldiers in Russia’s war on Ukraine has been recognized by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who
last month that North Korean soldiers had helped drive Ukrainian forces from a Russian region in 2025.
Victoria Friedman contributed to this report.
