On October 20, 2026, South Korea announced it would withdraw approximately half of its diplomatic staff from its embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, amid an escalating diplomatic dispute.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly revealed during a September 23, 2026 UN General Assembly speech that Ukraine had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea.
South Korea accused Ukraine of violating a bilateral confidentiality agreement meant to protect the transferred North Korean soldiers and their families remaining in North Korea.
South Korea recalled its ambassador to Ukraine, Park Ki-chang, on October 8, 2026, after determining that an initial written apology from Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha was insufficient.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung demanded an official public apology from Kyiv on October 2, 2026, warning that South Korea would take additional measures if Ukraine refused.
South Korea will maintain Charge d'Affaires Yoon Ji-wan and essential consular staff in Kyiv to assist the 85 South Korean nationals remaining in Ukraine as of October 20, 2026.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi rejected claims of a binding confidentiality agreement, stating that diplomacy should prevail over emotions and calling the situation resolved.
South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon stated that persistent threats from Russian missile and drone strikes across Ukraine made ensuring embassy personnel safety increasingly difficult.
The two North Korean soldiers were captured in early 2025 during Russian operations in Kursk Oblast and arrived in South Korea in mid-September 2026 seeking resettlement.
Russian forces launched 16 ballistic missiles and over 200 drones across Ukraine on October 19, 2026, damaging energy infrastructure and causing power outages for over 500,000 households.