South Korea to Recall Ambassador to Ukraine Over POW Dispute

South Korea has decided to recall its ambassador to Ukraine as a diplomatic dispute over Kyiv’s disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul remains unresolved. The Foreign Ministry said consultations with Ukraine would continue, but did not specify when Ambassador Park Heechang would return. The decision follows weeks of disagreement over whether the transfer was supposed to remain confidential. South Korean officials say the two governments had an understanding to keep it private, partly to protect the former prisoners and their relatives in North Korea. Ukraine’s Presidential Office has said no such agreement existed. The available accounts do not establish whether a written or otherwise verifiable agreement was made. The dispute intensified after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed the transfer during his September 23 address to the United Nations General Assembly. The soldiers had been captured while fighting for Russia in Ukraine. South Korea objected to the public disclosure and sought an explanation and apology from Kyiv.