Why did the PPP criticize South Korea’s withdrawal of diplomatic personnel from Ukraine?

PPP floor leader Jeong Jeom-sig questioned why the decision came shortly after the dispute over the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war. He said the government’s explanation that air-strike threats prompted the withdrawal was not convincing to him.

What did Jeong Jeom-sig say the Ukraine withdrawal could signal about the Lee government’s foreign policy?

Jeong said the decision was difficult to understand unless the government was steering foreign policy away from the United States and other partner nations and toward alignment with North Korea, China and Russia. He urged the government to dismiss Unification Minister Chung Dong-young and National Intelligence Service Director Lee Jong-seok to demonstrate otherwise.

What prompted South Korea’s diplomatic dispute with Ukraine over North Korean prisoners of war?

The dispute followed Kyiv’s unilateral disclosure that two North Korean prisoners of war had been transferred to South Korea. Seoul had recalled its ambassador to Ukraine before announcing the withdrawal of additional diplomatic personnel.

PPP slams diplomat withdrawal from Ukraine as 'emotional response'

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Summary

The People Power Party (PPP) criticized the Lee Jae Myung government in South Korea on Wednesday for withdrawing additional diplomatic personnel from Ukraine, calling the move an emotional response. The foreign ministry announced the withdrawal on Tuesday after Seoul recalled its ambassador amid a dispute over Kyiv’s disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea. PPP floor leader Jeong Jeom-sig questioned the timing and urged the government to dismiss two senior officials. Other PPP lawmakers called the decision diplomatic self-sabotage.

Key Facts

Jeong said the withdrawal was difficult to understand unless the government was shifting its foreign policy away from the United States and other partner nations toward North Korea, China and Russia.
The government cited the threat of air strikes as the reason for withdrawing diplomatic personnel, Jeong said, but he questioned that explanation.
Jeong urged the government to dismiss Unification Minister Chung Dong-young and National Intelligence Service Director Lee Jong-seok.
The dispute followed Kyiv’s unilateral disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 21, 2026 11:55 am KST

People Power Party floor leader Jeong Jeom-sig/ Yonhap

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Wednesday criticized the Lee Jae Myung government's decision to withdraw additional diplomatic personnel from Ukraine, describing the move as an "emotional response."

The foreign ministry announced the decision on Tuesday, following the recall of its ambassador to Ukraine, amid an ongoing dispute over Kyiv's unilateral disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) to South Korea.

PPP floor leader Jeong Jeom-sig said the withdrawal decision was difficult to understand unless the government was steering its foreign policy away from the United States and other partner nations, and toward an alignment with North Korea, China and Russia.

"The government argues that the withdrawal of its diplomatic personnel is due to the threat of air strikes, but no one is going to take that at face value," Jeong said in a Facebook post.

"With the war in Ukraine dragging on for more than four years, why was the (withdrawal) decision made shortly after a dispute erupted over the transfer of North Korean POWs?" he asked.

Jeong then urged the Lee government to dismiss Unification Minister Chung Dong-young and Lee Jong-seok, director of the National Intelligence Service, to demonstrate that its foreign policy is not aligned with North Korea, China and Russia.

Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun, Rep. Na Kyung-won and other PPP lawmakers also denounced the government's decision, calling it "diplomatic self-sabotage."

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