South Korea's foreign ministry said it would recall its ambassador to Ukraine after demanding an apology over Kyiv's disclosure that two North Korean prisoners had been transferred to Seoul.
South Korea will recall its ambassador to Ukraine, the foreign ministry said on Thursday, Yonhap reported. Seoul has demanded an official explanation and apology after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea, and after his office denied there had been an agreement to keep the transfer confidential.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said on Tuesday that he had received a message from Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha that included an apology but fell short of Seoul's expectations. Cho said the government intended to take firm measures. The ministry said it hoped the issues would be resolved and that consultations would continue.
Yonhap's later account said the two soldiers were captured in January 2025 while fighting for Russia in the Kursk region and arrived in South Korea in mid-September. Zelenskyy disclosed the transfer in an address to the U.N. General Assembly in New York last month, Yonhap reported.
The ministry did not name the ambassador in the Yonhap report or set a return date. The recall is a diplomatic step, not a break in relations.
The new fact is the decision to bring the ambassador home. The underlying transfer was disclosed earlier.
People Sentiments Negative
- Cho Hyun said Sybiha's apology fell short of Seoul's expectations.
- The foreign ministry said it hoped the issues would be resolved through consultations.