South Korea Demands Apology From Ukraine Over North Korean PoW — SkimNews
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- South Korea's presidential office demanded an official explanation and apology from Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of disclosing the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war and then falsely denying a non-disclosure agreement existed.
- Senior presidential secretary Seong Ghi-hong expressed "strong regret" over Ukraine's "unilateral disclosure" and said the denial had "seriously damaged trust" between the two governments, adding Seoul was "reviewing additional measures."
- President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced the transfer during his address to the UN General Assembly "without sufficient prior consultation," according to Seoul.
- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said publicly on X that Ukraine breached the confidentiality agreement and that non-disclosure was "appropriate in every aspect" given potential consequences for the prisoners and their families still in North Korea.
- The two North Korean soldiers were captured in Russia's Kursk region in January 2025—the first North Korean troops captured alive since Pyongyang entered the war in 2024 to fight alongside Russia—and had expressed a desire to go to South Korea.
- Seoul says it agreed to secrecy out of security, diplomatic, and humanitarian concerns, including the risk that public disclosure could fuel domestic criticism in Ukraine that Kyiv had forfeited a potential prisoner exchange.
- Ukraine's embassy in Seoul did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the apology demand.
Why it matters: The dispute strains ties between two Ukraine-war partners: South Korea has backed Kyiv politically and with humanitarian aid, and the captured North Korean soldiers represent a rare intelligence and diplomatic asset tied directly to Pyongyang's deployment to fight Russia. Seoul's warning of "additional measures" opens the door to concrete retaliation, while the row lands as South Korea pushes to revive inter-Korean dialogue alongside renewed US engagement with North Korea under President Trump.
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