South Korea Demands Apology From Ukraine Over North Korean POW — SkimNews
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- South Korea demanded an official apology and explanation on Sunday, accusing Kyiv of breaching a non-disclosure agreement by revealing the transfer of two North Korean POWs and then issuing what Seoul called a 'false announcement' that no such agreement existed.
- President Zelenskyy announced the transfer during his UN General Assembly address, saying the soldiers were 'not easy to capture alive,' prompting South Korean President Lee Jae Myung to publicly express disappointment on social media within hours.
- Senior presidential secretary Seong Ghi-hong said Ukraine's 'unilateral disclosure' 'gravely damages friendly relations between the two countries' and that Seoul is 'considering additional measures,' without specifying what they might be.
- The two North Korean soldiers were captured in Russia's Kursk region in January 2025, out of roughly 14,000 North Korean troops deployed to repel Ukraine's incursion; Ukrainian intelligence estimates about 3,000 killed and 1,500 wounded, with no North Korean troops believed to have operated on Ukrainian soil.
- Ukrainian troops reported that surrounded or wounded North Korean soldiers preferred suicide over surrender — only two were ever captured — and under Article 3 of South Korea's constitution, North Koreans are considered South Korean citizens permitted to live in the South.
- South Korea has so far provided only non-lethal aid to Ukraine while Kyiv has pressed Seoul for advanced air defense systems, and Zelenskyy warned last month that up to 50,000 more North Korean troops could be deployed to Russia.
Why it matters: The rift lands while Kyiv is actively pressing Seoul for advanced air defense systems and Zelenskyy warns of up to 50,000 more North Korean troops heading to Russia — meaning the dispute could directly affect Ukraine's arms pipeline at a moment of escalating North Korean involvement in the war.
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