South Korea recalls ambassador from Ukraine over scandal involving North Korean prisoners of war

South Korea has recalled its ambassador Pak Ki-chan from Ukraine amid a deterioration in diplomatic relations between the two countries. The move was prompted by Vladimir Zelensky’s public statement about handing over North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul.

This was reported by South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“The government has decided to recall the ambassador from Ukraine. The government expects the earliest possible resolution of all outstanding issues between the two countries and will continue consultations with the Ukrainian side in this direction,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The conflict erupted after Zelensky, during his address to the UN General Assembly in New York in September, revealed that Ukraine had handed South Korea two North Korean soldiers who had been fighting on Russia’s side and were captured in the Kursk region. Seoul accused the Ukrainian president of violating an agreement to keep this information confidential.

The Office of the President of Ukraine, however, stated that no such agreement had existed. Nevertheless, Kyiv subsequently did apologize over the incident. South Korea deemed the apology insufficient and decided to recall its ambassador.