Seoul to maintain Ukraine support, despite NK POW dispute
South Korea will continue supporting Ukraine “as a responsible member of the international community” despite a diplomatic dispute over the disclosure of two North Korean prisoners of war being repatriated to the South, a foreign ministry official said Thursday. The official said Seoul will treat its assistance to Ukraine separately from the dispute, while continuing bilateral consultations to…
South Korea pledges to maintain support for Ukraine, despite a dispute surrounding the repatriation of two North Korean prisoners of war to the South. Despite this diplomatic tension, the foreign ministry official emphasized that Seoul intends to treat its assistance to Ukraine separately from the ongoing conflict. Seoul will maintain bilateral consultations to resolve outstanding issues, while not allowing the dispute to undermine its commitment to Ukraine.
This decision follows the recall of South Korean Ambassador to Ukraine Park Ki-chang from Seoul on Saturday. The recall occurred in response to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's disclosure of the transfer during his U.N. General Assembly speech on September 23. The ambassador's recall was one of several options considered by Seoul when the disclosure of the prisoners' repatriation took place, which it claims breached an existing confidentiality agreement.
President Lee Jae Myung publicly demanded that Ukraine acknowledge the agreement and publicly apologize, threatening further measures if Kyiv does not comply. Ukraine has denied any such understanding.
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