South Korea Demands Apology Over POW Disclosure — SkimNews
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- South Korea's presidential office demanded an official explanation and apology from Ukraine, with senior secretary Seong Ghi-hong calling the unilateral disclosure and its subsequent denial of a non-disclosure agreement "a very serious matter" that undermines trust between the two governments
- Ukrainian President Zelenskyy revealed the transfer of two North Korean POWs during his address to the UN General Assembly, adding the soldiers were "not easy to capture alive"
- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on social media that he was "very disappointed" by Ukraine's public disclosure, writing that he did not know "why the Ukrainian side broke the agreement"
- The two North Korean soldiers were captured in January 2025 in Russia's Kursk region, one of roughly 14,000 North Korean troops deployed there; Ukrainian intelligence estimates approximately 3,000 were killed and 1,500 injured
- Captured North Korean troops reportedly preferred suicide over surrender — only two were ever taken alive, according to Ukrainian battlefield reports
- South Korea has so far provided only non-lethal aid to Ukraine despite Kyiv's pressing requests for advanced air defense systems, a pipeline now complicated by the diplomatic breach
- Zelenskyy claimed last month that up to 50,000 additional North Korean troops could be deployed to Russia, raising the stakes for Seoul's cooperation
Why it matters: Seoul's demand for an apology and warning of "additional measures" directly threatens Ukraine's bid to secure advanced South Korean air defense systems at a moment when Zelenskyy warns of a possible 50,000-troop North Korean reinforcement for Russia — the diplomatic breach lands precisely when Ukraine needs South Korean military hardware most.
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