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Lee Jae Myung at a news conference in Seoul, South Korea, on Sept. 18, 2026.
Politics

'Blown out of proportion' — Domestic politics at the core of South Korea's rift with Ukraine

by Karol Luczka

Seoul's diplomatic spat with Kyiv continues to deepen, but experts say it is less about Ukraine than about South Korea's own politics. The East Asian country, traditionally counted among Ukraine's partners in the region, announced on Oct. 8 that it is recalling its ambassador from Kyiv amid a dispute over North Korean prisoners of war (POWs). The rift started on Sept. 23 with President Volodymyr Zelensky telling the U.N. General Assembly that Kyiv had transferred two North Korean POWs, capture

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