Seoul to pull some embassy staff from Kyiv as NK POW dispute deepens

South Korea will pull some embassy staff out of Ukraine, citing Kyiv’s failure to take constructive steps to resolve a weekslong dispute sparked by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) to the South, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. The decision adds pressure on Kyiv after South Korea recalled Ambassador Park Ki-chang on Oct. 8 over its refusal to acknowledge a confidentiality agreement on the transfer and issue a public apology. Park returned to Seoul on Oct. 10. “The government decided to withdraw some embassy staff, considering Kyiv’s failure to take constructive steps even after our ambassador’s recall, along with persistent airstrike threats across Ukraine that make it difficult to ensure their safety,” foreign ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said at a regular briefing. A ministry offcial said 84 Koreans are in Ukraine, including embassy staff, but did not say how many worked at the embassy and how many of them would leave. He explained that the timing of the partial withdrawal would depend on safety