South Korean aid agency plans to bring home worker from Kyiv

South Korea’s international aid agency has decided to bring home one of its two staff members in Kyiv over safety concerns as Russian drone and missile attacks intensify, according to The Korea Times.

The decision will reduce the agency’s staffing in Kyiv without withdrawing both workers. It comes amid a separate diplomatic dispute over Ukraine’s disclosure of a prisoner transfer, though the agency official cited in the report did not identify that dispute as a reason for the move.

The Korea Times, citing Yonhap news agency, reported that the Korea International Cooperation Agency made the decision after a safety meeting. The report did not specify when the worker would return home.

Kyiv has faced increasingly heavy Russian drone and missile attacks in recent weeks, according to the report. The agency cited safety concerns in deciding to repatriate the worker.

Separately, South Korea withdrew its ambassador from Ukraine this month after accusing Kyiv of violating an agreement to keep the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers confidential, The Korea Times reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told the UN General Assembly in September that Ukraine had sent the soldiers to South Korea. They had been captured while fighting for Russia, according to the report.

Seoul said the confidentiality agreement was intended to protect the soldiers and their families in North Korea, according to The Korea Times. The report did not establish a link between that dispute and the aid worker’s planned return.