South Korea embassy staff exit Kyiv in prisoner feud

South Korea embassy staff will leave Ukraine in part, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday, as a row over North Korean prisoners of war deepens.

The move comes after Seoul brought its ambassador home. Seoul says Kyiv has taken no constructive step since then, and it describes the South Korea embassy staff cut as a further protest.

The ministry did not say how many people will go, or when they will leave.

Why South Korea pulled its envoy

The dispute began when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about two captured North Korean soldiers. He said Ukraine had handed them to the South, and he made the remark in a speech at the UN General Assembly on September 23.

Seoul says both sides had agreed to keep the handover secret. In its view, the disclosure put the soldiers’ relatives in North Korea at risk. Kyiv denied that it ever agreed to such a deal.

President Lee Jae Myung has demanded an official apology. Seoul also summoned Kyiv’s ambassador and warned of unspecified “further measures.”

What the South Korea embassy staff move means

Ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said Seoul passed on its position through several channels but got no positive reply. He also pointed to the constant threat of air strikes, which makes it hard to protect personnel.

A chargé d’affaires will stay in Kyiv to keep diplomatic contact going. All consular staff will remain as well, so they can protect South Korean nationals.

Park said the step aims to ease the dispute in a friendly way and restore trust between the two countries. The ministry added that it hopes all open issues end amicably and that talks with Kyiv will go on.

Kyiv’s response and the wider stakes

Ukraine says “diplomacy must prevail over emotions.” Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told a local outlet last week that Kyiv considers the matter closed. He blamed the row on different readings of the confidentiality arrangement and said Ukraine met its obligations.

Earlier this month, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Ukraine sent a message that “included words of apology.” Even so, Cho called it too weak for what Seoul wanted.

These soldiers came from the thousands of North Korean troops that fought alongside Russia. After their capture in early 2025, they asked to start new lives in the South, since they could face persecution if sent home. Seoul legally treats the North as part of its own territory, so it accepts and supports defectors.

Many experts say Seoul’s liberal government also worries that news of the arrival could hurt its push to improve ties with North Korea. They add that good ties with Kyiv serve Seoul’s interests. Ukraine can share intelligence on North Korea’s growing cooperation with Russia and on its battlefield experience.

Humanitarian aid from Seoul to Ukraine totals $445 million since 2022. In July, Lee promised another $100 million in a meeting with Zelenskyy.

For now, the South Korea embassy staff withdrawal marks a new low in relations, and neither side has signalled a quick fix.