# South Korea to cut Kyiv embassy staff amid North Korean POW dispute

https://mins.news/en/item/107633

- Meduza, 2026-10-20 10:07 UTC
- Politics
- Original: https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/10/20/south-korea-to-cut-embassy-staff-in-kyiv-after-recalling-ambassador-amid-dispute-over-north-korean-pows

> South Korea will recall some diplomatic staff from Ukraine, Yonhap reported. Seoul said Kyiv had not taken “positive steps” to resolve the dispute over transferring North Korean POWs, while Russian airstrikes complicate staff protection. After Zelensky publicly said Ukraine had handed two prisoners to South Korea, Seoul sought an official apology. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha apologized only during diplomatic consultations, which Seoul deemed insufficient; it recalled its ambassador in early October.

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