South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has warned that Seoul could take further measures against Ukraine unless Kyiv acknowledges what South Korea says was a confidentiality agreement covering the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war and issues an official apology.
Lee made the warning on Friday, 2 October, as a dispute over the handling of the transfer continued. The soldiers had been captured while fighting for Russia and were subsequently sent to South Korea.
According to Reuters, Lee did not specify what additional measures he might take. His statement was a warning of possible action, rather than an announcement that South Korea had withdrawn assistance or imposed penalties. (reuters.com)
Seoul says the transfer should have remained confidential.
The disagreement became public after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the United Nations General Assembly in September that the two captured soldiers had been transferred to South Korea.
Seoul says the countries agreed to keep the arrangement confidential. Ukrainian officials have denied that such an agreement existed.
South Korea’s presidential office previously said secrecy was necessary for security, diplomatic and humanitarian reasons, including the safety of the soldiers and their families.
It also said Ukraine had its own concerns about publicity. According to Seoul’s account, Kyiv feared domestic criticism that sending the men to South Korea meant losing an opportunity to exchange them for Ukrainian prisoners held by Russia.
These remain South Korea’s account of the discussions. The disagreement over whether a confidentiality agreement existed has not been publicly resolved. (reuters.com)
Foreign ministers are discussing a response.
Diplomatic contact has continued despite Lee’s warning.
A senior South Korean Foreign Ministry official told reporters on Friday that Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, had been discussing a possible response from Kyiv.
Yonhap News Agency reported that the discussions covered the wording, tone and method of announcing a message addressing Seoul’s concerns.
The official said South Korea wanted to protect its relationship with Ukraine and avoid allowing the disagreement to develop into broader friction. Ukraine’s wartime circumstances were also being considered.
The same official maintained that confidentiality had been agreed from the outset to protect the soldiers and relatives remaining in North Korea.
Officials said the men were captured in Russia’s Kursk region in January 2025 and arrived in South Korea in mid-September. (en.yna.co.kr)
Ukraine seeks to repair relations.
Sybiha has described the dispute as a diplomatic misunderstanding and expressed hope that it could be settled quickly.
Reuters, citing Ukrainian media reports published on Thursday, said the minister stressed South Korea’s importance to Ukraine and wanted cooperation between the countries to continue.
His remarks indicated an effort to repair relations, but did not establish that Kyiv had accepted Seoul’s account or delivered the apology requested.
The prisoners were among North Korean troops deployed to support Russia. Their capture brought the connection between the war in Ukraine and security on the Korean peninsula into sharper focus. (reuters.com)
The prisoners had expressed a wish to resettle.
The Associated Press reported that both soldiers had said, in media interviews while still in Ukraine, that they wanted to resettle in South Korea.
Seoul urged Ukraine not to return them to North Korea, where they could face persecution.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry also summoned Ukraine’s ambassador on Monday to protest the disclosure and Kyiv’s denial of a confidentiality agreement. The ambassador said he would pass Seoul’s position to his government, according to the ministry. (apnews.com)
Dispute comes amid tensions on the Korean peninsula
Lee’s administration has been pursuing dialogue with North Korea while maintaining plans to strengthen South Korea’s defence capabilities.
In an Armed Forces Day address on Thursday, Lee urged Pyongyang to restore dialogue. His appeal came amid tensions over a recent landmine incident in the Demilitarised Zone that injured three South Korean soldiers.
North Korea rejected South Korea’s account of that incident, adding another disagreement to an already strained relationship. (reuters.com)
North Korea’s military involvement in Russia has meanwhile remained a concern for Ukraine. Zelenskyy said this week that more than 8,000 North Korean troops remained in Russia and another 10,000 were being prepared for deployment. Those figures were his assessment, rather than an independently established count. (reuters.com)
For now, Seoul and Kyiv are continuing talks. The unresolved questions are whether they can agree on the circumstances surrounding the disclosure, what response Ukraine will offer, and whether Lee will follow his warning with concrete measures.
