Can South Korea and Ukraine resolve their diplomatic spat over North Korean POWs?

South Korea 's ambassador to Kyiv returned to Seoul on Saturday, his recall the latest in a series of tit-for-tat actions that have severely strained bilateral ties. The sudden deterioration in their relationship can be traced back to September 23, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the United Nations General Assembly in New York that Ukraine had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea. The soldiers had been captured by Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region in January 2025 as they fought alongside Russian troops .