The South Korean government announced Thursday that it is planning to withdraw its ambassador to Ukraine, following up on a diplomatic spat over the transfer of two detained North Korean troops to Seoul. The controversy erupted on September 23 after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was delivering a speech at the UN General Assembly, admitted that Kyiv had transferred the two troops to South Korea in mid-September.
According to South Korea, the information was disclosed despite an agreement not to disclose this data publicly; the office of the Ukrainian president disputes the existence of such an agreement. The Foreign Ministry of South Korea stated that Ambassador Park Hee-chang would be summoned but did not provide a particular date, also noting that "we plan to continue consultations with our Ukrainian partners in the hope that the remaining issues can be resolved smoothly."
The two North Korean troops were captured in early 2025 while fighting on behalf of Russia and said they wanted to settle in South Korea since they would be persecuted if they returned to their native country. President Lee Jae-myung termed Zelensky's announcement "very disappointing" and a "very sensitive matter" with regard to national security.
The controversy escalated recently after Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied that its Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, had apologized for the statement, which contradicts earlier statements made by Seoul's foreign minister. Seoul has backed Ukraine since its invasion by Russia in 2022, but follows a long-standing policy not to provide lethal weapons to any country at war.
Since 2022, Seoul has offered Ukraine humanitarian aid worth $445 million, including a $100 million pledge in July. Experts fear that the dispute may jeopardize Seoul's intelligence gathering from North Korea on its military cooperation with Russia.