South Korea-Ukraine Ties "On a Downward Spiral"... Government Withdraws Half of Embassy Staff (Comprehensive)

Further measures taken after no "official apology" following recall of ambassador to Ukraine
Some embassy staff withdrawn while 85 Korean nationals remain in war-torn Ukraine

The diplomatic dispute between the South Korean and Ukrainian governments over the disclosure of the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war is escalating. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on October 20 that it had decided to withdraw about half of the personnel at the South Korean Embassy in Ukraine. The move comes after Ukraine showed little response to South Korea's recall of Ambassador to Ukraine Park Gichang on October 8 in protest against the host country.

Yonhap News Agency

At the ministry's regular briefing that day at the annex of the Government Complex Seoul, ministry spokesperson Park Dusun said, "Even after the recall of the ambassador to Ukraine, the Ukrainian side has taken no constructive measures." He added, "Given the persistent threat of airstrikes across Ukraine and the difficulty of ensuring safety, we have decided to withdraw some embassy personnel." He also said, "Even after the withdrawal, we will continue necessary diplomatic communications between the two countries, led by the chargé d'affaires," adding, "All consular staff will remain in place and continue to make every effort to protect South Korean nationals abroad."

This is the first time the government has withdrawn staff from its embassy in Ukraine to South Korea since the Russia-Ukraine war began in February 2022. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a Level 4 travel alert, the highest level and a travel ban, for all of Ukraine immediately after the war broke out. However, with around 80 South Korean nationals still in the country, the government has maintained staff at the embassy to provide consular assistance in case of an emergency.

Against this backdrop, the government's decision to withdraw embassy personnel is seen as an unusually strong measure. The recent exchange of sharp words between the two governments over the disclosure of the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war is believed to have been a decisive factor. It is difficult to find precedent in South Korea's diplomatic history for withdrawing embassy personnel over a diplomatic dispute rather than a war or disaster. The decision has reportedly also been conveyed to the Ukrainian side through diplomatic channels.

Asked whether the measure was a form of "diplomatic protest," spokesperson Park effectively acknowledged that it was, saying, "After considering the various circumstances, we determined that the Ukrainian side had taken no constructive measures, and so we decided on this action." He added, "Our fundamental aim is to seek a solution through amicable consultations between South Korea and Ukraine," and said, "We hope that the Ukrainian side will take sincere and constructive measures on the issues we have been raising, so that we can move on to discussing the development of bilateral relations."

A ministry official said, "This is not an action for the sake of taking action; it is fundamentally aimed at resolving pending issues between the two countries and restoring trust." The official added, "We have clearly conveyed our requests through various channels, so a constructive response from the Ukrainian side is a prerequisite for restoring relations." Asked what specific measures would constitute a "constructive response," the official said, "Our existing position calling for 'preventing a recurrence and offering an apology' remains unchanged."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.