South Korea recalls Ukraine envoy over prisoner-of-war row

What the report says

South Korea has said it will recall its ambassador to Ukraine, marking the latest step in a diplomatic dispute over two North Korean soldiers captured in Russia and later transferred to Seoul. The disagreement began after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the transfer in September, prompting Seoul to say Kyiv had broken an understanding that the handover would remain confidential. Ukraine has denied that any non-disclosure agreement existed.

According to the BBC’s reporting, South Korean officials objected because the matter involves prisoners from a country fighting alongside Russia in the war against Ukraine and is tied to sensitive domestic and security concerns in Seoul. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung described the disclosure as deeply disappointing, while his government later said it had sought apologies and continued to press Kyiv over what it viewed as a breach of trust. Ukrainian officials, for their part, have rejected the claim that an apology was offered.

The episode comes amid broader tensions surrounding South Korea’s support for Ukraine. Seoul has provided non-lethal aid but has maintained a longstanding policy against supplying weapons to countries at war, even as Kyiv has urged stronger military backing. The recall of the ambassador signals that the prisoner issue has now spilled into a wider diplomatic rift between two governments that have otherwise cooperated since Russia’s full-scale invasion.