South Korea Withdraws Half Its Embassy Staff From Ukraine Over POW Dispute in Most Dangerous Countries
South Korea is withdrawing roughly half of its embassy staff from Ukraine amid a deepening diplomatic dispute with Kyiv over the public disclosure of two North Korean prisoners of war transferred to Seoul, combined with persistent security threats from Russian airstrikes in one of the most dangerous countries for diplomatic operations.
South Korea Announces Partial Embassy Withdrawal
South Korea has decided to withdraw roughly half of its embassy personnel from Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday, marking an escalation of its diplomatic protest against Kyiv over the disclosure of the confidential transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul. [1] The decision follows the recall of South Korean Ambassador to Ukraine Park Ki-chang earlier this month, as Seoul maintains that Kyiv has failed to take sufficient steps to address the diplomatic dispute, despite repeated demands for an apology and an explanation. [1] Foreign Ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said during a regular press briefing Tuesday that the government decided to withdraw some embassy personnel, taking into account the absence of any constructive steps by the Ukrainian side following the recall of the ambassador, as well as the persistent threat of airstrikes across Ukraine, which makes it difficult to ensure their safety. [1] The ministry plans to withdraw approximately half of its embassy staff, although the exact number of personnel stationed at the diplomatic mission remains classified. [1] The timing of the withdrawal has yet to be determined and will depend on security conditions on the ground and the progress of diplomatic consultations with Kyiv. [1] Seoul has already notified the Ukrainian government of its decision. [1]
Dispute Over North Korean POW Disclosure
The latest move marks a further deterioration in bilateral relations following a diplomatic row that erupted last month when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly disclosed the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea during his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 23. [1] Seoul accused Kyiv of unilaterally breaching a bilateral understanding to keep the transfer confidential, arguing that the disclosure violated an agreement reached between the two governments. [1] South Korea subsequently summoned Ukraine's acting ambassador in Seoul on Sept. 28 to lodge a formal protest and demand an apology. [1] Ukrainian officials, however, denied that any confidentiality agreement had existed and rejected Seoul's demand. [1] The dispute continued into October, with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun telling lawmakers during a parliamentary audit on Oct. 6 that Seoul had received a message from Ukraine containing an expression of apology. [1] However, Cho said the message fell short of what the South Korean government considered acceptable. [1] Ukrainian officials have denied that there was any agreement to maintain confidentiality on the matter. [3]
Security Concerns Cited in Withdrawal From Most Dangerous Countries
A separate Foreign Ministry official cited persistent threats from missile and drone attacks across the country, where South Korea maintains its highest Level 4 travel advisory, effectively prohibiting travel. [1] The official said the government had concluded that it was increasingly difficult to guarantee the safety of embassy personnel under prevailing security conditions. [1] South Korea previously withdrew diplomatic personnel from Libya in 2015 and Afghanistan in 2021, amid worsening security situations. [1] The partial withdrawal of embassy personnel represents another diplomatic measure taken by Seoul amid the unresolved dispute, although the government has also emphasized the deteriorating security environment in Ukraine. [1] Park Doo-soon said at a regular press briefing that Ukraine has yet to take positive steps to resolve the diplomatic dispute regarding Kyiv's unilateral disclosure and that persistent threats of airstrikes make it difficult to ensure the safety of diplomatic personnel. [3]
Continued Operations and Remaining Personnel
Despite the partial withdrawal, the embassy will maintain essential diplomatic and consular operations, with Yoon Ji-wan, chargé d'affaires ad interim to Ukraine, remaining in Kyiv alongside all personnel responsible for consular affairs. [1] Even after the withdrawal, necessary diplomatic communication between the two countries will continue under the leadership of the charge d'affaires. [1] All consular personnel will remain in place to ensure the continued protection of South Korean nationals. [1] According to the Foreign Ministry, 85 South Korean nationals remained in Ukraine as of Tuesday afternoon, excluding embassy personnel. [1] The spokesperson noted that South Korea will maintain the necessary diplomatic contact with Ukraine led by a chargé d'affaires ad interim, adding that all consular staff will remain in the country to continue efforts to protect South Korean citizens. [3]
Background on Deteriorating Bilateral Ties
Seoul recalled its ambassador to Ukraine earlier this month after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed the POW transfer during his UN General Assembly address on Sept. 23, which Seoul says breached a confidentiality agreement. [3] Ukraine has denied any confidentiality agreement existed and has not provided the level of apology or explanation demanded by South Korea. [3] South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said Ukraine had breached a non-disclosure agreement by publicly revealing the transfer of the two North Korean POWs to South Korea and that making the information public could lead to numerous problems. [3] Zelenskyy's communications adviser, Dmytro Lytvyn, denied that Ukraine had breached any non-disclosure agreement with South Korea. [3] The Office of the President of Ukraine has denied that there was any agreement to maintain confidentiality on the matter. [3] The partial staff withdrawal follows the ambassador's recall and is driven by both the lack of constructive response from Kyiv and the ongoing risk of missile and drone attacks across Ukraine. [1]
Geopolitical Context of North Korea Ties
Recent incidents involving the explosion of a North Korean landmine in the Demilitarized Zone and the repatriation of North Korean POWs held in Ukraine have led to a dramatic increase in North Korea-related coverage by South Korean media outlets. [2] Senior officials in the Lee Jae-myung administration and South Korean progressives seem to retain a strong nostalgia for the foreign policy of the Roh Moo-hyun era, particularly the Sunshine Policy. [2] What has changed is the growing confrontation between the United States and China, accompanied by the accelerating division of the world into rival blocs. [2] During the Sunshine Policy era, Pyongyang faced a very different international environment where neither China nor Russia saw much reason to provide North Korea with substantial support. [2] Today, however, China and Russia are actively supporting North Korea, while the North Korean regime has firmly shut its doors to the outside world. [2] Over the past three years, the Kim Jong Un regime has earned more than US$20 billion from arms exports to Russia. [2] Under these circumstances, it would be unwise to expect Pyongyang to respond positively to the same old tune, which has long since become outdated. [2]
What to watch next is whether further diplomatic consultations with Kyiv produce any additional response on the POW disclosure issue or whether security conditions on the ground alter the timing of the remaining staff withdrawal steps.
