South Korea and Ukraine have recently faced diplomatic disputes over the issue of 'transferring North Korean prisoners of war'. On October 20 local time, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that due to Kiev's lack of 'constructive response' in the related disputes, South Korea will withdraw more embassy staff from Ukraine.
South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Park Doo-jun said on Tuesday that South Korea has communicated its position to Ukraine through various channels, but has yet to receive a full response from Kiev. Even after recalling the South Korean ambassador to Ukraine, Ukraine has not taken any active measures in response. In addition, considering the ongoing threat of air strikes across Ukraine and the difficulty of ensuring safety for people, the South Korean government has decided to withdraw some members of its embassy in Ukraine.
He explained, “We have taken this measure because we believe it is necessary to promote a friendly resolution to the issue and restore trust between the two countries.”
During the regular press conference that day, Park Doo-ju did not disclose the exact number of people to be evacuated. However, he added that the embassy will be staffed by a acting agent. The acting agent, along with consular staff, will maintain diplomatic communication to protect local Korean citizens.
He also stated that despite the evacuation of some personnel, the Korean side will continue to maintain the necessary diplomatic communication between the two countries.
In late September, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy announced that two North Korean prisoners of war had been transferred to South Korea, sparking diplomatic controversy between the two countries.
The Korean side accused this move of violating the confidentiality agreement between the two countries and seriously undermining the trust between the governments of both countries. They demanded an apology from the Ukrainian side. Due to the negative attitude of the Ukrainian side, South Korea decided to recall its ambassador to Ukraine on the 8th of this month.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Serhii Seretya said in an interview on October 12 that Ukraine has handed over two North Korean military prisoners to South Korea and fulfilled all obligations, stating that this matter is now over. Yonhap reported that this statement was seen as the Ukrainian side effectively rejecting the request for apology from South Korea.
The Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently emphasized that South Korea's demands for Ukraine to apologize, provide explanations, and promise not to repeat such incidents remain unchanged. South Korea will continue to communicate with Ukraine in order to find a proper solution to the relevant issues.
However, on the 15th local time, a Korean Foreign Ministry official stated that South Korea will continue to support Ukraine as a responsible member of the international community. The official said that Seoul will separate assistance to Ukraine from diplomatic disputes and will continue to resolve outstanding issues through bilateral negotiations.
The official also revealed that three European countries have expressed their desire for South Korea to continue supporting Ukraine and have offered to help ease tensions between Seoul and Kiev. The report did not disclose the specific countries involved.
