S. Korea's Ambassador to Ukraine Returns Home amid Dispute over N. Korea POWs

South Korea's ambassador to Ukraine, Park Ki-chang, has returned home after being recalled in protest. The recall was prompted by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's disclosure of the transfer of North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul. According to The Korea Times, Zelenskyy revealed the transfer during an address to the U.N. General Assembly in New York last month.

Seoul's foreign ministry stated that a non-disclosure agreement was reached with Kyiv to protect the soldiers and their families, who remain in North Korea. However, Kyiv has denied that such an agreement existed. The two North Korean soldiers were captured in January 2025 while fighting for Russia in the Kursk region and arrived in South Korea in mid-September.

The recall of the ambassador is a rare move for the government as a form of protest. KBS World Radio reported that the foreign ministry will continue consultations, but no further details were provided.

Brief written by urgent.news from KBS World Radio, The Korea Times — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.