Government Takes Strong Step: Decides to Recall Ambassador to Ukraine

[Anchor]

In protest against Ukraine unilaterally disclosing the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war and claiming there was no non-disclosure agreement, the South Korean government has taken a hardline stance by deciding to recall its ambassador to Ukraine back home. Overnight, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it remains open to resuming constructive dialogue, while emphasizing that diplomacy must take precedence over emotion.

Kim Hye-young reports.

[Anchor]

The government announced that it has decided to recall Park Ki-chang, the South Korean Ambassador to Ukraine.

Recalling an ambassador to one's home country is a diplomatic measure to convey a strong protest to the counterpart nation without severing diplomatic ties.

Although there are past precedents—such as recalling the ambassador to Japan in 2001 over history textbook distortions and in 2008 over sovereignty claims to Dokdo—it is an exceedingly rare move with few instances since.

The current conflict began on September 23 when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed at the UN General Assembly that two North Korean prisoners of war had been repatriated to South Korea.

[Volodymyr Zelenskyy / President of Ukraine (September 23): "Recently, we sent two North Korean prisoners of war captured by the Ukrainian military to the Republic of Korea."]

The South Korean government pushed back, stating that Ukraine unilaterally publicized the matter despite a bilateral agreement to keep the repatriation confidential.

The friction intensified after the Ukrainian side denied the existence of any non-disclosure agreement.

President Lee Jae-myung personally demanded an apology, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Ukrainian chargé d'affaires to lodge a protest.

Although the Ukrainian foreign minister subsequently sent a message of apology, the South Korean government warned of decisive action, stating it fell short of expectations.

[Cho Hyun / Minister of Foreign Affairs (October 6): "Since it falls somewhat short of the level we anticipated, we intend to take decisive measures."]

The government stated, "We hope the pending issues between the two nations will be resolved smoothly, and we will continue consultations with the Ukrainian side."

However, it added, "The actual timing of our ambassador's return will be determined by considering the progress of consultations," indicating that Ukraine's forthcoming response will be a key variable.

(Camera: Cho Chun-dong | Video Editing: Yoon Tae-ho | Graphics: Kang Yoon-jung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.