South Korea to withdraw some embassy staff from Ukraine as dispute over transfer of North Korean POWs to Seoul intensifies

South Korea’s foreign ministry said Tuesday it would withdraw some staff from its embassy in Ukraine as a diplomatic dispute over the transfer of North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul intensifies.

Tensions rose after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed the transfer last month. Seoul responded angrily, saying the operation should have remained confidential to protect the prisoners’ families in North Korea.

The announcement follows South Korea’s earlier recall of its ambassador to Ukraine. Seoul had sought an official apology for what it described as Zelenskyy’s unauthorized and unilateral disclosure, but Kyiv did not respond to the demand.