South Korea has recalled its envoy to Ukraine over a diplomatic spat surrounding the transfer of North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) between the two states.

The ROK Foreign Ministry announced the move in a press release on Thursday evening, following the Foreign Minister Cho Hyun’s warnings of firm measures against Kyiv.

“The government has decided to recall its ambassador to Ukraine,” the readout states. “The government hopes that all outstanding issues between the two countries will be resolved amicably and will continue consultations with the Ukrainian side toward this end.”

Ambassador Park Ki-chan has servedas the ROK’s top