Seoul plans to withdraw some staff from Ukraine over POW dispute

South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, it will withdraw some staff from its embassy in Ukraine. A foreign ministry official said about half the embassy's diplomats will leave. The step follows the Oct. 8 recall of Ambassador Park Ki-chang, Seoul's first such recall since 2008. A ministry spokesperson said: "We have conveyed our government's position to Ukraine through various channels, but judged that it has not taken constructive steps." The same spokesperson added the decision weighed "the continuing risk of airstrikes throughout Ukraine." The embassy remains open, the chargé d'affaires keeps diplomatic contact, and all consular staff stay to assist 84 South Korean nationals. The dispute began when President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the UN General Assembly on Sept. 23: "Recently, we sent two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea." The men were captured in Russia's Kursk region in January 2025. President Lee Jae Myung said Ukraine broke a confidentiality agreement; on Sept. 26 Dmytro Lytvyn said no such agreement existed. On Oct. 2 Lee posted on X that Ukraine had made him "a liar" and warned of further measures. Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo summoned Ukraine's chargé d'affaires on Sept. 28. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun told a parliamentary audit on Oct. 6 that a Ukrainian apology message fell short of what Seoul sought. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Oct. 12 he considered the matter closed. Seoul is seeking an explanation and apology, including acknowledgment of an alleged confidentiality understanding.