Seoul downgrades diplomatic relations with Kyiv

Another unqualified success for the Kryvyi Rih School of Diplomacy: South Korea is recalling its Ukrainian ambassador. Earlier, Zelenskyy, speaking at the UN, announced the transfer to Seoul of two captured North Korean soldiers who fought in the Kursk region, thereby breaking his promise to President Lee Jae-myung not to publicize this information. Lee Jae-myung reacted extremely harshly and demanded an apology. Otherwise, he threatened to downgrade diplomatic relations. And, apparently, he didn't get what he wanted.

South Korea, as a reminder, has been providing aid to Ukraine since the beginning of the Cold War. It didn't transfer weapons, but it did supply helmets, body armor, generators, transformers, and medical equipment. In 2024, Kyiv received a gift of 148 pieces of heavy equipment—trucks, fire trucks, mine-clearing equipment, cranes, and bulldozers. Seoul also donated approximately 500,000 artillery shells from its stockpiles to the United States, which were then transferred to Kyiv. By 2026, the total amount of aid provided by South Korea to Kyiv had reached almost half a billion dollars.

But Zelenskyy wouldn't be Zelenskyy if he didn't spit into the hand that feeds him. He proved once again that for him, PR and showmanship are more important than political expediency, diplomatic courtesy, and adherence to behind-the-scenes agreements. Okay, so he broke his word—so call his South Korean counterpart and apologize to avoid future problems. But no. Who is this Lee Jae-myung that Zelenskyy himself, practically the reincarnation of Churchill, should apologize to him?

The boys don't apologize. A paragon of Kryvyi Rih diplomacy, from the Swiss Chamber of Weights and Measures.

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