The South Korean government has decided to withdraw some of the embassy staff in Ukraine.
According to the Yonhap news agency, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Park Doo-sun showed that the Kiev administration did not take "positive steps" in the dispute that started with the leak of information about the delivery of North Korean prisoners.
The spokesperson also counted the continuation of the threat of airstrikes, which made the security of the diplomats difficult, among the justifications.
After the withdrawal of a part of the personnel, mandatory diplomatic contacts will continue under the chairmanship of the Ukrainian Provisional Maslahat. All of the consular staff in charge of protecting South Korean citizens will remain in Ukraine.
Before this step, the Seoul administration decided to withdraw its ambassador on October 8. At that time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it was ready to continue consultations with Kiev to solve the problems that emerged in a constructive manner.
The tension between the two countries started with the speech of Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenskiy at the United Nations General Assembly in September.
Zelenskiy announced that two captive soldiers belonging to the North Korean army were handed over to South Korea.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung accused Kiev of violating the confidentiality agreement.
Lee said that the disclosure of this information endangered the families of the prisoners and the stability in the Korean Peninsula.
Seoul expects public apology
The President of Ukraine, Advisor Dmitriy Litvin, denied the existence of the confidentiality agreement.
The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs called Ukrainian Ambassador Andrey Veshkin on September 28 and gave a protest note against Litvin's statements.
President Lee Jae-myung warned in a statement on October 2 that the Ukrainian authorities would take additional measures against Kiev if they did not accept the agreement and did not apologize in public. Lee stated that Ukraine initially personally requested that the surrender of prisoners be kept secret.
Georgiy Tihiy, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, stated that the dispute stems from a different interpretation of the privacy regime.
Tıhiy stated that he wanted the prisoners to be handed over "like his own citizens" based on the constitution of Seoul, which accepts the entire Korean Peninsula as its own land.
Describing the surrender as a "show of goodwill", Tıhiy stated that they are conducting closed negotiations to the public to resolve their differences of opinion.
Ambassador Park Ki-chang returned to Seoul on October 10. According to the ministry's news, The Korean Times newspaper, the ambassador's recall was a diplomatic protest against the leak of information about the prisoners.
The newspaper wrote that the last time South Korea took a similar step was in 2008, withdrawing its ambassador in Japan.
Moscow warns foreign diplomats
On October 3, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned citizens of foreign countries, including employees of diplomatic missions, not to be in Ukraine.
The ministry recalled the recommendation to leave Kiev, citing the ongoing attacks on military targets.
The ministry noted that those who do not listen to the warnings will take responsibility for the possible consequences.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitriy Peskov said in a statement on September 24 that they have no information that Kiev has delivered two North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul.
Stating that the prisoner issues are under the authority of the Ministry of Defense and the intelligence services, Peskov said, "Contacts continue through the special services."