South Korea to withdraw some embassy staff from Ukraine over North Korean POW dispute
In short
South Korea's government decided on 20 October to withdraw some staff from its embassy in Ukraine, citing the lack of a forward-looking step by Ukraine after the ambassador was recalled and the threat of air strikes across Ukraine. Consular staff will all remain, and diplomatic communication will continue through the chargé d'affaires.
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South Korea's government has decided to withdraw some staff from its embassy in Ukraine. Foreign ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon announced the decision at a regular briefing at the ministry in Seoul on 20 October. He said the government made it because Ukraine had taken no forward-looking step since the ambassador to Ukraine was recalled, and because the threat of air strikes across Ukraine makes safety hard to ensure. [ 1 , 4 , 6 , 13 , 14 ]
Park said that even with the withdrawal, necessary diplomatic communication between the two countries would continue, centred on the chargé d'affaires. All consular staff would stay and continue to protect South Korean nationals abroad. Asked whether the withdrawal was a diplomatic protest, he said the government had already conveyed its position to Ukraine in various ways and judged that no forward-looking step had been taken, so it prepared this measure. [ 4 , 6 , 13 , 14 ]
Asked whether other measures were being considered, Park said measures themselves were not the issue and that the aim was an amicable solution through consultation. He said Seoul hopes Ukraine will take sincere, forward-looking steps on what South Korea has requested. On South Koreans still in Ukraine, he said their own wishes matter most. The embassy will keep contact with them, circulate safety notices, run daily safety checks and provide support to those who wish to leave, he said. [ 14 ]
Ambassador Park Ki-chang was recalled to South Korea on 8 October. The dispute began after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky disclosed, in his UN General Assembly address on the 23rd of last month (local time), that two North Korean POWs were being repatriated to South Korea, according to Seoul Shinmun. [ 1 , 6 ]
Seoul Shinmun reported that the government called this a unilateral breach of a confidential agreement and summoned Ukraine's chargé d'affaires in Seoul on the 28th of last month to demand a formal apology. Ukraine's position is that no such agreement existed. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun told a National Assembly audit on 6 October that Ukraine had sent a message containing an expression of apology but that it fell short of what Seoul expected, so firm measures would be taken. [ 6 ]
Dong-A Ilbo said the withdrawal appears to be a follow-up to President Lee Jae-myung's 2 October warning of additional measures if Ukraine made no public apology. [ 15 ]
Why it matters
The step follows the 8 October recall of the ambassador and extends the dispute between Seoul and Kyiv over the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war. The foreign ministry said it still seeks an amicable solution through consultation with Ukraine.
Key facts
- Foreign ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon (박두순) announced the decision to withdraw some embassy staff from Ukraine at a regular briefing on 20 October. [ 1 , 4 , 6 , 13 , 14 ]
- The ministry cited the absence of a forward-looking step by Ukraine after the ambassador's recall and the air-strike threat across Ukraine, which makes safety hard to ensure. [ 1 , 4 , 6 , 13 , 14 ]
- Diplomatic communication will continue, centred on the chargé d'affaires, and all consular staff will stay to protect South Koreans abroad. [ 1 , 4 , 6 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]
- Ambassador Park Ki-chang (박기창) was recalled to South Korea on 8 October. [ 1 , 6 ]
- The dispute concerns whether South Korea and Ukraine had a confidential agreement on the repatriation of North Korean POWs. [ 1 , 4 , 6 , 15 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The South Korean government decided to withdraw some staff from its embassy in Ukraine, the foreign ministry said. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 , 9 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]
- Diplomatic communication will continue centred on the chargé d'affaires, and all consular staff will remain. [ 1 , 4 , 6 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]
- The decision follows the recall of the ambassador to Ukraine on 8 October. [ 1 , 6 ]
Still unclear
- How many embassy staff will be withdrawn and when. The documents give no number, names or dates for the withdrawal.
- Whether a confidential agreement on the POW repatriation existed. Seoul says Ukraine unilaterally broke a confidential agreement, while Ukraine says no such agreement existed (Seoul Shinmun, Dong-A Ilbo).
- Whether further measures are under consideration. Asked about other measures, the spokesperson said the aim is an amicable solution through consultation and did not announce further steps.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Chosun Ilbo publishes the first breaking report on the withdrawal of some embassy staff. [ 1 ]
- Yonhap and Newsis publish breaking reports of the decision. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Yonhap reports the decision with the spokesperson's statement that no forward-looking step was judged to have been taken. [ 9 ]
- Newsis reports the spokesperson's answers on further measures and on South Koreans remaining in Ukraine. [ 14 ]