Seoul Pulls Ambassador From Kyiv As US Stays Out — SkimNews
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- Zelensky told the UN General Assembly on Sept. 23 that Ukraine had sent two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea—the first such transfer since Pyongyang dispatched troops to support Russia two years ago, originally revealed by South Korean intelligence.
- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung accused Kyiv of turning the transfer "into a spectacle for the sake of claiming credit," endangering the POWs' families in North Korea and South Korea's own security; Ukraine continues to deny breaching any formal agreement.
- South Korea withdrew its ambassador from Kyiv after The Guardian reported more than 176,000 tonnes of diesel and fuel were shipped from South Korea to Russia's far east in July and August, potentially breaching sanctions and offsetting Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries, per Ukraine's sanctions commissioner Vladyslav Vlasiuk.
- Lee's government has refused to provide weapons to Ukraine despite Seoul's earlier support, though it committed a further US$100-million in non-lethal aid in July—observers say Zelensky's UN revelation may have been aimed at pressuring Seoul on arms.
- Atlantic Council's Joseph Webster said the US is "aloof, or even adversarial," a break from its usual role firmly supporting South Korean security and mediating disputes, leaving both Kyiv and Seoul to "make their own way in a dangerous world."
- South Korea is exposed to oil market chaos driven by the Ukraine war and Trump's attacks on Iran; with Washington easing sanctions on Russian diesel, Kyiv fears Seoul will follow suit and resume trade with Moscow, easing the pressure on its own economy.
Why it matters: Ukraine loses one of its few Asian partners willing to challenge Russia, while South Korea—a US treaty ally—faces a widening decision on whether to ease sanctions on Moscow after the US itself lifted restrictions on Russian diesel, all without Washington acting as a backstop or honest broker between two democracies it counts as partners.
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