Seoul to withdraw portion of embassy staff from Ukraine

South Korea will pull some embassy personnel after recalling its ambassador over Ukraine's disclosure of North Korean POW transfers.

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Foreign Ministry spokesperson Park Doo-sun briefs about the decision to withdraw some embassy personnel from Ukraine during a press briefing at the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Oct. 20.

The government announced it will withdraw some of its embassy staff from Ukraine, following the recall of Seoul's ambassador to Ukraine in protest over Kyiv’s disclosure of the transfer of North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea.

“With Ukraine taking no constructive action following the recall of our ambassador to Ukraine, the government has decided to withdraw some embassy personnel, taking into account the continued threat of airstrikes across Ukraine and the difficulty of ensuring their safety,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday.

The Foreign Ministry added that necessary diplomatic communication between the two countries would continue through the chargé d'affaires even after the withdrawal.

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“All consular staff will remain in Ukraine to continue ensuring the protection of Korean nationals,” the ministry said.

The Foreign Ministry had announced on Oct. 8 that it decided to recall Seoul's ambassador to Ukraine, Park Ki-chang. Park arrived in Seoul on Oct. 10.

“The government hopes that all outstanding issues between the two countries will be resolved amicably and will continue consultations with Ukraine toward that end,” the ministry said in a press release following the announcement.

BY KIM EUN-BIN [[email protected]]

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.


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