The South Korean government has decided to withdraw some diplomatic staff from its embassy in Ukraine.
The decision was announced by South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to Yonhap.
The move was prompted by an unresolved dispute over North Korean prisoners of war and growing security risks for South Korean diplomats due to the continuing threat of air strikes against Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine.
"TThe decision came as Ukraine has yet to take "positive steps" to resolve the diplomatic dispute over Kyiv's unilateral disclosure of the transfer of the North Korean POWs to Seoul, while continued airstrike threats have made it difficult to ensure the safety of diplomatic personnel," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Park Doo-sun said at a briefing.
He stressed that despite the partial reduction in diplomatic staff, Seoul would maintain essential diplomatic communications with Kyiv and retain all consular personnel in the Ukrainian capital to ensure the protection of South Korean citizens.
"Seoul has demanded an official explanation and apology from Ukraine over Zelenskyy's disclosure, as well as a statement from his office denying that there had been an agreement to keep the matter confidential," Yonhap added.
