Seoul Summons Ukraine Envoy Over North Korean POW Disclosure — SkimNews
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- South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo summoned Ukraine's acting ambassador Andrii Vieshkin and lodged a formal complaint expressing "strong regret" that President Zelensky revealed the transfer of two North Korean POWs at the UN General Assembly.
- President Lee Jae Myung called Zelensky's disclosure "greatly disappointing," said the transfer was a "highly sensitive issue" affecting national security, and his office argued the secrecy was needed partly to protect the North Korean soldiers' families.
- The two North Korean soldiers were captured in Russia's Kursk Oblast in early 2025 and had told local media they wanted to be sent to South Korea; after more than a year of negotiations, Zelensky announced the transfer last Wednesday.
- Zelensky's office countered that Kyiv and Seoul had no non-disclosure agreement, prompting Seoul to demand an apology for "announcing a falsehood" and declare that trust had been seriously damaged between the two nations.
- Ukraine has been pressing South Korea to supply cutting-edge anti-air missiles to defend its energy infrastructure from Russian drones and missiles; Seoul announced a $100 million non-lethal assistance package in July comprising helmets, body armor, and medical equipment, and Russia's foreign ministry warned it would have "no choice but to retaliate" if South Korea armed Ukraine.
- Lee Jae Myung's government, which pursues a conciliatory approach toward Pyongyang and has been trying to reopen inter-Korean peace talks, faced domestic opposition accusations that he covered up the transfer to appease North Korea.
Why it matters: The diplomatic rift lands at the worst possible moment for Kyiv: Ukraine has been actively lobbying Seoul for cutting-edge anti-air missiles to defend energy infrastructure from Russian drone strikes, while North Korean troops fight alongside Russia in Kursk — meaning Zelensky's public disclosure could directly slow Ukraine's access to air-defense technology it urgently needs.
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