South Korea to recall Ukraine envoy over disclosure of prisoner transfer
In short
South Korea announced on October 8 that it would recall its ambassador to Ukraine following a dispute over public disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners. Seoul says the transfer was covered by a confidentiality agreement, while Ukraine denies such an agreement existed.
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South Korea's Foreign Ministry announced on October 8 that it had decided to recall its ambassador to Ukraine, Japanese outlets reported. The decision followed Seoul's objections to Ukraine making public the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea. The ministry said it would continue discussions with Ukraine and hoped outstanding bilateral issues could be resolved smoothly. [ 1 , 4 , 6 ]
The dispute began after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed the transfer in a September 23 speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Asahi Shimbun reported. South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said the two countries had agreed to keep the handover private and accused Ukraine of breaking that agreement. [ 5 ]
Ukraine denied that any such agreement existed, according to Asahi and Sankei Shimbun. Sankei described the two prisoners as North Korean soldiers who had been sent to Russia before being captured. It reported that Seoul's opposition to the disclosure had intensified and interpreted the ambassador's recall as a protest. [ 1 , 5 ]
Lee warned in an October 2 social media post that he would take additional measures unless Ukraine apologised, Yomiuri Shimbun reported. The outlet said the Foreign Ministry continued to express hope for a smooth resolution of the issues between the two countries. [ 3 ]
South Korea's foreign minister told parliament on October 6 that he had received a message from his Ukrainian counterpart containing words of apology, Asahi reported. He said it remained below the level Seoul expected and indicated that firm measures would follow. Nikkei reported that he had included recalling the ambassador among the measures under consideration. [ 5 , 6 ]
Why it matters
The recall follows South Korea's objections to Ukraine making the transfer public and its foreign minister's dissatisfaction with a message containing an apology. South Korea's Foreign Ministry said it would continue discussions with Ukraine to resolve outstanding issues.
Key facts
- South Korea's Foreign Ministry announced the decision to recall its ambassador to Ukraine on October 8. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- The dispute concerns Ukraine's disclosure that two North Korean prisoners had been transferred to South Korea. [ 1 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- South Korea says there was an agreement to keep the transfer confidential; Ukraine denies the agreement existed. [ 1 , 5 ]
- South Korea's foreign minister said on October 6 that an apologetic message fell short of Seoul's expectations. [ 1 , 5 , 6 ]
- The ministry said talks with Ukraine would continue. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether the countries agreed to keep the transfer confidential remains disputed. South Korea says there was an agreement; Ukraine denies it, according to Sankei and Asahi.