South Korea recalls its ambassador to Ukraine in protest
Seoul accuses Kyiv of breaking a pledge of silence over two captured North Korean soldiers; Ukraine denies any such deal existed.
South Korea is recalling its ambassador to Ukraine in protest over a dispute with Kyiv, its Foreign Ministry said on Oct. 8, according to Seoul Economic Daily. The embassy stays open, and the ministry did not say when the diplomat will return.
It began on Sept. 23, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the UN General Assembly that two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukraine had been transferred to South Korea. Seoul says there was a nondisclosure agreement and that Kyiv broke it. South Korean President Lee Jae-myung demanded a public apology and threatened further measures.
Kyiv rejects ever having agreed to that pact. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said on Oct. 6 that Kyiv sent a message expressing regret, and that Seoul found it insufficient. The next day, Ukraine's foreign ministry replied that the two sides interpret the confidential understanding differently, according to Ukrainska Pravda. No public document shows who is right.
A Ukrainian spokesperson told ABC News: "We believe that diplomacy should prevail over emotions." Joseph Downing, an international relations professor at Aston University, called the recall a "huge" step, "unexpected and serious," and said it could be aimed at South Korea's domestic political audience.
Pyongyang sent troops to fight alongside Russia. The two soldiers were captured in early 2025 and asked to stay in South Korea, fearing reprisals if they went home. Since 2022, Seoul has given Ukraine more than $640 million in humanitarian aid, but it does not send lethal weapons because of a domestic ban.
The South Korean ministry added that it will keep talking with Kyiv to settle what remains. The sources consulted show no official Ukrainian reaction yet to the recall.
