South Korean ambassador to Ukraine returns home after protest recall

Ambassador Park Ki-chang arrived in South Korea on October 10 after being recalled in protest over Ukraine's disclosure of a transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war, the foreign ministry said.

Seoul announced the recall on October 8. It says the countries agreed, at Kyiv's request, to keep the transfer confidential to protect the soldiers and their families remaining in North Korea. South Korea says Volodymyr Zelenskyy breached that understanding by revealing the transfer at the U.N. General Assembly in New York in September. Ukraine denies that such an agreement existed.

The two North Korean soldiers were captured in January 2025 while fighting for Russia in the Kursk region. South Korean officials say they reached South Korea in mid-September. When announcing the recall, the ministry expressed hope that the disagreements would be resolved and said consultations with Ukraine would continue. The ambassador's arrival follows the diplomatic protest announced two days earlier.