By Soo-Hyang Choi | Updated on Oct 08, 2026 at 09:51 AM
South Korea decided to recall its ambassador to Ukraine in protest over Kyiv’s disclosure of the transfer of North Korean prisoners of war to the South, escalating tensions between the two countries.
“The government has decided to recall our ambassador to Ukraine,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday. “The government hopes that all outstanding issues between the two countries will be resolved amicably and will continue consultations with the Ukrainian side toward that end.”
The decision comes amid ongoing tensions between South Korea and Ukraine after Seoul demanded a public apology from Kyiv for allegedly violating an agreement they had made to keep confidential any transfer of North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea.
Read more: Seoul Demands Ukraine Apology Over North Korea POW Disclosure
The dispute erupted after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an address to the United Nations General Assembly last month that Ukraine had recently sent two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces to South Korea. Seoul said Kyiv disclosed the transfer in breach of their confidentiality agreement without adequate consultation.
South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Tuesday that the Ukrainian side had delivered a message that included an apology but that Seoul did not consider it sufficient.
The announcement comes a day after South Korea urged Ukraine to stop making what it called “incorrect and inappropriate” allegations that Seoul was undermining sanctions against Moscow by helping alleviate Russia’s fuel shortages.
The Guardian reported earlier this week that more than 176,000 tons of fuel were loaded onto tankers at South Korean ports for shipment to Russia in July and August, citing port records and ship-tracking data. Some of the vessels are subject to UK and EU sanctions, the newspaper said.
Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the Ukrainian president’s commissioner for sanctions policy, weighed in, saying in a Facebook post that South Korea helped offset the impact of Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries.
South Korea disputed that claim.
“We urge the Ukrainian side to refrain from making public statements that distort South Korea’s relevant policies or undermine international trust without sufficient verification of the facts,” Kang Yu-jung, a spokesperson for President Lee Jae Myung, said in a statement Wednesday.
“It is factually incorrect and inappropriate for an official from the Ukrainian presidential office to publicly state, citing the Guardian report, that South Korea helped alleviate Russia’s fuel shortages and the impact of its lost refining capacity,” Kang said. “Such claims are based on individual transactions for which key facts — such as the trading parties, country of origin, and end-users—have not been verified.”
While North Korea has sent troops to aid Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, Seoul has long resisted calls from Western partners to tap into its vast military stockpiles with direct transfers of weapons or ammunition to Ukraine, choosing instead to help Kyiv with other aid.
Refined oil is not subject to South Korea’s export controls on Russia but Kang said Seoul is reviewing compliance with relevant regulations and will take necessary action if any violations are confirmed.