SEOUL, South Korea — The South Korean government announced on Tuesday, October 20, that it is pulling out a portion of its diplomatic personnel from its embassy in Kyiv, escalating an ongoing diplomatic feud triggered by Ukraine’s public disclosure of a confidential transfer involving two North Korean prisoners of war.
The tensions between the two nations escalated following a speech delivered by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the United Nations on September 23, where he revealed the transfer of the captured soldiers. Seoul maintains that Kyiv breached a bilateral nondisclosure agreement, a claim that Ukraine has rejected, further fueling the diplomatic standoff.
In response to the disclosure, South Korea previously recalled its ambassador from Ukraine earlier this month. In contrast, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi told local media outlets that Kyiv remains receptive to constructive engagement, emphasizing that “diplomacy must prevail over emotions.”
South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson Park Doosoon stated that the partial evacuation of embassy personnel stems from Ukraine’s “lack of constructive steps” toward resolving Seoul’s concerns, alongside growing safety risks driven by intensifying Russian military strikes.
While the exact number of departing staff and the precise timeline remain undisclosed, Seoul confirmed that a charge d’affaires and a skeleton crew of essential personnel will remain in Kyiv. This core team will ensure continuous communication with Ukrainian officials and provide ongoing consular support to South Korean nationals residing in the country.
“We are still maintaining communication, and, as I mentioned earlier, our goal is to seek an amicable resolution through close consultation with the Ukrainian side,” Park said. “We conveyed our clear position and requests over the pending issues between the two countries through various channels. It’s now up to the Ukrainian side to provide a response or take appropriate action on those matters.”
The two transferred soldiers were captured in early 2025 after being deployed among thousands of North Korean troops aiding Russia’s military campaign. Both men expressed a desire to seek refuge in South Korea to avoid facing persecution upon repatriation.
Under its constitution, South Korea regards itself as the legitimate governing authority over the entire Korean Peninsula and has a long-standing policy of welcoming and providing financial assistance to North Korean defectors.
According to South Korean officials, the initial secrecy surrounding the transfer was designed to safeguard the safety of the soldiers and their family members remaining in North North Korea. Meanwhile, some analysts suggest that the liberal administration of President Lee Jae Myung may have also sought to avoid publicizing the arrival to prevent any potential backlash against its broader diplomatic efforts with Pyongyang.
Thus far, North Korean state media has maintained silence regarding the prisoner transfer, despite Pyongyang’s historical tendency to react aggressively to high-profile defections and frequently accuse Seoul of abduction.
This diplomatic rift unfolds against the backdrop of severely strained inter-Korean relations, marked by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s hard-line policies, aggressive nuclear weapons development, and deliberate efforts to dissolve cross-border ties amid an ongoing diplomatic stalemate with Washington.