(../../../../favicon_aje.ico) South Korea to pull more embassy staff from Ukraine after POW row | Conflict News | Al Jazeera    (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/20/south-korea-to-pull-more-embassy-staff-from-ukraine-after-pow-row)                                              (https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml)  (https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2026/10/20/south-korea-to-pull-more-embassy-staff-from-ukraine-after-pow-row)  (https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/2026-10-02T030329Z_1055724315_RC22SNASK0CS_RTRMADP_3_SOUTHKOREA-UKRAINE-NORTHKOREA-1792481368.jpg?resize=1920%2C1440)  (../../../../wp-content/uploads/2026/10/2026-10-02T030329Z_1055724315_RC22SNASK0CS_RTRMADP_3_SOUTHKOREA-UKRAINE-NORTHKOREA-1792481368.jpg@resize=770,513&quality=80)     (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org/scripttemplates/otSDKStub.js) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (../../../../static/css/vendor~main~d08ff9cb.24bf1742.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~748942c6.6cd3b839.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~b07b7304.e3bc53a0.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~6e6dca10.b9196be1.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~d92ce3db.c3cbd92c.r2.chunk.css) (https://www.aljazeera.com/static/media/Roboto-Bold.52bb58c8.woff2) (https://www.aljazeera.com/static/media/Roboto-Regular.c5bf51b6.woff2)  (../../../../static/css/vendor~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-blo~5f903362.2e08e417.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-~41c72a2c.6aa6af66.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-~06be7c11.0625e98d.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/common~493df0b3.ec3ab9b5.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/pages/article-page~493df0b3.93e3f65b.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/common~493df0b3.ec3ab9b5.r2.chunk.css)   Skip links (south-korea-to-pull-more-embassy-staff-from-ukraine-after-pow-row@traffic_source=rss.html#main-content-area) Skip to Content  (https://www.aljazeera.com/)          (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/live) play    Live    Sign up  Show navigation menu     Navigation menu (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/) News    Show more news sections  (https://www.aljazeera.com/middle-east/) Middle East   (https://www.aljazeera.com/africa/) Africa   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia/) Asia   (https://www.aljazeera.com/us-canada/) US & Canada   (https://www.aljazeera.com/latin-america/) Latin America   (https://www.aljazeera.com/europe/) Europe   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia-pacific/) Asia Pacific      (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/explainer/) Explained   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sports) Sport   (https://www.aljazeera.com/opinion/) Opinion   (https://www.aljazeera.com/videos/) Video   (https://www.aljazeera.com/interactives/) Interactives   More   Show more sections  (https://www.aljazeera.com/aljazeera-originals) Originals   (https://www.aljazeera.com/features/) Features   (https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/) Economy   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/human-rights/) Human Rights   (https://www.aljazeera.com/climate-crisis) Climate Crisis   (https://www.aljazeera.com/investigations/) Investigations   (https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/) In Pictures   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/science-and-technology/) Science & Technology   (https://www.aljazeera.com/audio/podcasts) Podcasts   (https://www.aljazeera.com/travel) Travel   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sponsored/) Sponsored Content        (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/live) play    Live    Click here to search search     Sign up        Navigation menu caret-left    (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/ukraine-russia-crisis/) Russia-Ukraine war    (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/inside-story/2026/5/30/is-the-war-in-ukraine-entering-a-new-phase-2) Is the war entering a new phase?   (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/12/with-drone-dropped-food-on-ukraines-frontline-do-soldiers-starve) Starving on the front lines   (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/between-us/2026/2/24/russia-ukraine-four-years-of-war) Four years of war   (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/5/zelenskyy-asks-putin-for-meeting-whats-he-offering-could-russia-accept) Zelenskyy’s open letter to Putin     caret-right         (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/) News |(https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/conflict/) Conflict   South Korea to pull more embassy staff from Ukraine after POW row Earlier this month, South Korea recalled its ambassador from Kyiv after Zelenskyy disclosed the prisoner transfer.   Listen   Listen (2 mins)       Save       Share South Korea to pull more embassy staff from Ukraine after POW row on social media share-nodes    Share (https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Fqen28v) facebook      (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=South%20Korea%20to%20pull%20more%20embassy%20staff%20from%20Ukraine%20after%20POW%20row&source=sharethiscom&related=sharethis&via=AJEnglish&url=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Fqen28v) x    (whatsapp://send?text=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Fqen28v) whatsapp-stroke    (https://aje.news/qen28v)  copylink          google       Add Al Jazeera on Google  info      (Lawmaker Yu Yong-weon of South Korea’s main opposition People Power Party explains pictures, showing two North Korean POWs who were recently transferred from Ukraine to South Korea)   Lawmaker Yu Yong-weon of South Korea’s main opposition People Power Party explains pictures, showing two North Korean POWs who were recently transferred from Ukraine to South Korea, taken during his visit to a POW camp in Ukraine last February [File: Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters]   By  AFPand Reuters   Published On 20 Oct 2026 20 Oct 2026    South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it will withdraw additional embassy personnel from Ukraine following Kyiv’s lack of “constructive response” in a dispute about North Korean prisoners of war (POWs). Seoul had told Kyiv of its position via multiple channels but had not received a sufficient response from Ukraine, ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said on Tuesday. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/20/israels-elections-2026-explained-in-maps-and-charts) How Israel’s 2026 election works  list 2 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/20/us-ukraine-relations-sour-as-trump-zelenskyy-clash-over-talks-arms) US-Ukraine relations sour as Trump, Zelenskyy clash over talks, arms  list 3 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/20/alberta-voters-reject-separation-from-canada-early-results-show) Alberta voters reject separation from Canada, early results show   end of list  Earlier this month, South Korea (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/8/south-korea-recalls-envoy-to-kyiv-over-diplomatic-row-with-ukraine) recalled its ambassador from Kyiv after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/24/zelenskyy-says-ukraine-sent-two-north-korean-pows-to-south-korea) told the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) that Ukraine had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to the South. The disclosure (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/28/why-south-korea-is-demanding-an-apology-from-ukraine-over-north-korean-pows) angered Seoul, which said the operation should have remained confidential to protect the soldiers’ families in North Korea. “This measure was taken because we judged it necessary to facilitate an amicable resolution of the issue and restore trust between the two countries,” Park told a regular press briefing, without saying how many staff members would leave. A charge d’affaires would stay on in Kyiv to maintain diplomatic communication along with all consular staff to protect South Korean nationals, Park added. Persistent threats of air strikes across Ukraine had also made it difficult to ensure staff safety, he said. Seoul previously summoned the Ukrainian ambassador and threatened unspecified “further measures”. ‘Situation resolved’ Ukraine has insisted that “diplomacy must prevail over emotions” in relations between the countries, and also said Kyiv considered “the situation resolved”. Advertisement    South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said earlier this month that Ukraine had sent a message that “included words of apology” over Zelenskyy’s disclosure, but it fell short of “the level” Seoul had in mind. Under South Korea’s constitution, all North Koreans are considered citizens of the Republic of Korea, as the country is officially known, and those who reach its territory and seek to defect are generally allowed to stay.                 aj-logo             aj-logo             aj-logo       Advertisement          About About   Show more  (https://www.aljazeera.com/about-us) About Us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/code-of-ethics/) Code of Ethics   (https://www.aljazeera.com/terms-and-conditions/) Terms and Conditions   (https://www.aljazeera.com/eu-eea-regulatory/) EU/EEA Regulatory Notice   (https://privacy.aljazeera.net/) Privacy Policy   (https://privacy.aljazeera.net/cookie/) Cookie Policy   (https://www.aljazeera.com/) Cookie Preferences    (https://trust.aljazeera.net/accessibility/) Accessibility Statement   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sitemap) Sitemap   (https://careers.aljazeera.net/) Work for us      Connect Connect   Show more  (https://network.aljazeera.net/en/contact?tid=6) Contact Us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/user-accounts-help) User Accounts Help   (https://commercial.aljazeera.net/) Advertise with us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/stay-connected) Stay Connected   (https://www.aljazeera.com/newsletters) Newsletters   (https://sat.aljazeera.net/en) Channel Finder   (https://www.aljazeera.com/schedule/) TV Schedule   (https://www.aljazeera.com/podcasts/) Podcasts   (https://webapps.aljazeera.net/aje/tips/) Submit a Tip   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sponsored) Paid Partner Content      Our Channels Our Channels   Show more  (http://aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Arabic   (https://www.aljazeera.com/) Al Jazeera English   (https://www.ajiunit.com/) Al Jazeera Investigative Unit   (https://www.aljazeeramubasher.net/) Al Jazeera Mubasher   (http://doc.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Documentary   (http://balkans.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Balkans   (http://ajplus.net/) AJ+      Our Network Our Network   Show more  (http://studies.aljazeera.net/en/) Al Jazeera Centre for Studies   (http://training.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Media Institute   (http://learning.aljazeera.net/) Learn Arabic   (http://liberties.aljazeera.com/en) Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights   (http://forum.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Forum   (https://hotels.aljazeera.net/en) Al Jazeera Hotel Partners        Follow Al Jazeera English: (https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera) facebook       (https://twitter.com/ajenglish) twitter     (https://www.youtube.com/aljazeeraenglish) youtube     (https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/?hl=en) instagram-colored-outline                          (https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml) rss     (https://bsky.app/profile/aljazeera.com) bluesky     (https://www.tiktok.com/@aljazeeraenglish) tiktok-colored-outline                  (Al Jazeera Media Network logo)   © 2026 Al Jazeera Media Network