South Korea to recall ambassador from Ukraine over North Korean prisoner dispute
Seoul has announced it will recall its ambassador from Ukraine amid a diplomatic row over two North Korean prisoners of war sent to South Korea. The two sides give conflicting accounts of whether Kyiv apologised and whether a confidentiality agreement existed.
South Korea has decided to recall its ambassador from Ukraine as diplomatic tensions continue over the transfer of North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea and the public disclosure of that information, the BBC reports.
How the dispute began
The row began in September. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the UN General Assembly that his government had sent two captured North Koreans to South Korea. Seoul says Zelensky broke an agreement to keep the transfer secret. The Ukrainian president's office continues to maintain that no such agreement existed. The prisoners themselves had earlier told local media that they wanted to go to South Korea.
South Korea's president condemned Zelensky's announcement, calling it very disappointing and saying the handover of prisoners of war is a highly sensitive matter affecting national security. In September, South Korea's deputy foreign minister lodged a formal complaint with his Ukrainian counterpart. Seoul also demanded an apology, saying Ukraine's actions had seriously damaged mutual trust between the two countries.
Conflicting accounts of an apology
This week South Korea's foreign minister said he had received an apology from Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, but that it had not met Seoul's expectations. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi told media on 7 October that Sybiha had not apologised. In a statement published on 8 October, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said consultations with the Ukrainian side would continue and expressed hope for a smooth resolution of the outstanding issues.
Seoul's stance on the war
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Seoul has shown support for Kyiv but has kept to its position of not supplying lethal weapons to countries involved in hostilities. In July this year, South Korea announced a $100 million aid package for Ukraine.
Russia's Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, has warned that it would have no choice but to respond if South Korea decides to supply arms to Ukraine.
