Clash over 'POW Disclosure': Government Takes Strong Measure to Recall Ambassador to Ukraine

[Anchor]

The South Korean government has strongly protested Ukraine's unilateral disclosure of the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war and decided to recall its ambassador to Ukraine. Although the Ukrainian side conveyed an apology, the government took a hard-line response, stating that it fell short of expectations.

Reporter Kim Hye-young reports.

[Anchor]

The government announced today (October 8) 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 that conveys a strong protest to the counterpart nation without severing diplomatic relations.

While there were past precedents of recalling ambassadors to Japan in protest of Japan's history textbook distortions in 2001 and its territorial claims over Dokdo in 2008, it is a rare measure with few examples since.

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

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

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

The friction escalated further after the Ukrainian side denied the existence of any confidentiality agreement.

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

Although Ukraine's foreign minister subsequently sent a message of apology, the government signaled decisive action, saying it fell short of the expected level.

[Cho Hyun / Minister of Foreign Affairs (October 6): "There is somewhat of a difference from the level we expect, so we intend to take decisive measures."]

The government stated, "We hope bilateral issues will be smoothly resolved and will continue consultations with the Ukrainian side."

However, it added, "We will determine the actual timing of our ambassador's return home taking into account the progress of consultations," indicating that Ukraine's future response will be a key variable.

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