South Korea Summons Ukraine Envoy Over North Korean POWs — SkimNews
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- South Korea summoned Ukraine's acting ambassador Andrii Vieshkin, with Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo lodging a formal complaint after President Zelensky disclosed the POW transfer at the UN General Assembly.
- Seoul demanded an apology for "announcing a falsehood," with President Lee Jae Myung calling the disclosure "greatly disappointing" and a "highly sensitive issue" affecting national security.
- Zelensky's office countered that the two countries did not have a non-disclosure agreement, while Ukraine's foreign ministry declined to comment when approached by the BBC.
- Ukraine captured the two North Korean soldiers in Russia's Kursk Oblast in early 2025, and the soldiers had told local media they wanted to be sent to South Korea.
- Kyiv has been pressing Seoul to supply cutting-edge anti-air missiles to defend energy infrastructure from Russian drone and missile strikes, with adviser Mykhailo Podolyak arguing South Korea cannot remain "a distant observer."
- Seoul announced a $100 million assistance package to Ukraine in July — non-lethal items including helmets, personal armour, and medical equipment — while Russia's foreign ministry warned it would have "no choice but to retaliate" if South Korea provided arms.
Why it matters: The dispute exposes a tightening bind for President Lee: his party pursues conciliation with Pyongyang, his opposition accuses him of covering up the transfer to appease the North, and Kyiv is simultaneously escalating demands for lethal anti-air missiles as North Korean troops fight alongside Russia — a request Russia has already threatened to retaliate against.
Ask SkimNews
