South Korea recalls Ukraine envoy over POW dispute
Bbc · 3 SOURCES1 day ago2 MIN
Summary
South Korea said on Thursday it would recall its ambassador to Ukraine, marking the latest escalation in a diplomatic dispute over Ukraine’s public disclosure last month that it had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to Seoul. Seoul says the revelation breached an understanding to keep the transfer secret, while Ukraine maintains there was no non-disclosure agreement and has also disputed South Korea’s account of an apology from Kyiv’s foreign minister.
Key Points
- South Korea’s foreign ministry said on Oct. 8 that it had decided to recall its ambassador to Ukraine and would continue consultations with the Ukrainian side.
- The dispute began after President Volodymyr Zelensky said at the UN General Assembly in September that Ukraine had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to Seoul.
- Seoul says Ukraine broke an agreement to keep the transfer secret, but Zelensky’s office says no non-disclosure agreement existed.
- The two North Korean soldiers had earlier told local media they wanted to be sent to South Korea after being captured while supporting Russia’s war effort.
- South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo lodged a formal complaint in September, and later accounts of an apology from Ukraine were contradicted by Kyiv’s foreign ministry spokesperson.
Why It Matters
The recall shows a wartime security issue has become a broader diplomatic problem between two governments that had been in close contact over the handling of North Korean personnel linked to Russia’s war. For Hong Kong readers, the episode underlines how the Ukraine conflict is drawing in Northeast Asian security concerns, including the treatment of North Korean soldiers and the political sensitivity of any transfer arrangements.