South Korea said on Thursday it will recall its ambassador to Ukraine, escalating a diplomatic dispute over Kyiv's public disclosure that it had handed two captured North Korean soldiers to Seoul. The foreign ministry said it hoped outstanding issues would be "resolved smoothly" and that consultations with the Ukrainian side would continue. According to Euronews, the envoy is Park Ki-chan and the embassy in Kyiv will stay open.
The row began on 23 September, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned the transfer in a speech at the UN General Assembly. The two men were among thousands of North Korean troops sent to support Russia in the war, and had earlier told media they wished to go to South Korea. Seoul says Kyiv broke an agreement to keep the handover confidential, partly to protect the soldiers' relatives in North Korea, where families of those who fall into enemy hands or defect are reportedly punished. Ukraine rejects this. Zelensky's adviser Dmytro Lytvyn said no such agreement existed and that it would be wrong to conceal what happens to specific prisoners.
President Lee Jae Myung called the disclosure "greatly disappointing" and a sensitive national-security matter. At home he faced criticism from opposition politicians who accused him of trying to hide the transfer to appease Pyongyang; his office said secrecy was also in Kyiv's interest, since Ukraine could be criticised for passing up a chance to swap the soldiers for Ukrainian prisoners. Seoul demanded an apology, and on Tuesday Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said a message from his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, contained an apology but fell short of expectations. He promised "firm measures." Kyiv has described the affair as a diplomatic misunderstanding. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said "diplomacy should prevail over emotions" and that Ukraine remains open to restoring dialogue, even if it takes time.
The dispute comes amid wider friction. Kyiv has pressed Seoul to supply advanced air-defence missiles, but South Korea has long refused to provide lethal weapons to countries in active conflict. In July it announced a $100 million aid package of non-lethal items such as helmets, body armour and medical equipment. Russia has warned it would retaliate if Seoul armed Ukraine. Separately, reports based on port documents and vessel-tracking data, published by The Guardian, say South Korean ports shipped more than 176,000 tonnes of fuel oil to Russia in July and August, including on three sanctioned tankers. A Ukrainian sanctions envoy, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, said the shipments helped Russia offset losses from Ukrainian strikes on its refineries. Seoul says it strictly observes its export controls and supports efforts to end the war.
Why it matters: South Korea has tried to balance support for Ukraine with cordial ties to Russia, which borders North Korea, and sees Moscow as a partner in influencing Pyongyang. The recall shows how a dispute over one sensitive handover can strain that balance, even as both governments say they want talks to continue.