South Korea Demands Ukraine Apology Over POW Disclosure — SkimNews
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- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung threatened Ukraine with 'further measures' on Friday if Kyiv does not issue a public apology for revealing the transfer of two North Korean POWs to Seoul.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed the transfer last week while speaking at the United Nations, triggering Seoul's sharp reaction hours later.
- Seoul claims Kyiv violated a confidentiality agreement meant to protect the soldiers, warning that Pyongyang could target their families — a claim Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha explicitly denied.
- Sybiha told journalists Thursday that no such agreement existed, calling the situation a 'diplomatic misunderstanding' and saying he hoped for 'momentum, continued cooperation, and concrete results' with Seoul.
- Lee accused Kyiv of portraying him as a 'liar' in a post on X, signaling that the diplomatic breach has gone personal.
Why it matters: Sybiha pointed to 'concrete results' already achieved between the two countries, meaning any 'further measures' Seoul takes could disrupt active bilateral cooperation at a moment when Ukraine depends on international partnerships. The dispute also exposes a credibility gap — Seoul claims a confidentiality deal Ukraine denies — that could complicate future sensitive exchanges between two countries now openly contradicting each other's version of events.
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