South Korea recalls its ambassador from Ukraine
Photo: Park Ki-chang (Wikipedia)
South Korea is recalling its ambassador to Ukraine, Park Ki-chang, according to the country’s Foreign Ministry.
The statement notes that the South Korean government has decided to recall its ambassador to Ukraine.
“The government hopes for a peaceful resolution of several unresolved issues between the two countries and will continue consultations with the Ukrainian side to that end,” the country’s Foreign Ministry stated.
Background
The dispute between Ukraine and South Korea arose following President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s speech at the UN General Assembly on September 23.
At that time, the head of state announced that Ukraine had handed over to Seoul two North Korean soldiers whom the Ukrainian Armed Forces had captured in the Kursk region in January 2025.
South Korea expected the information about the handover to remain confidential. President Lee Jae Myung accused Ukraine of making the information public and stated that confidentiality was intended to protect the prisoners and their families, who remain in North Korea.
The Office of the President of Ukraine denied the existence of any non-disclosure agreement.
Furthermore, a source in the Office of the President emphasized that Kyiv had not committed to concealing the fact of the handover of the North Korean soldiers. Only the fact of the handover itself was made public, without revealing any details of the process.
