South Korea seeks apology from Ukraine over disclosed North Korean POW transfer

South Korea’s presidential office said Ukraine broke a confidentiality pact by publicly announcing the handover of two North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul. The senior presidential secretary for public relations, Seong Ghi-hong, said the disclosure was unilateral and that Ukraine later denied any non-disclosure agreement, damaging trust between the two governments.

Seong added that Ukraine had repeatedly requested secrecy, arguing that public knowledge could spark domestic criticism in Kyiv over a missed opportunity to exchange the soldiers for Ukrainian captives. South Korea agreed to keep the transfer confidential for security, diplomatic and humanitarian reasons, including the safety of the prisoners and their families.

The transfer was mentioned by President Volodymyr Zelensky in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly, where he said the two men, captured while fighting for Russia, had been sent to South Korea. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said the disclosure breached the agreement and expressed regret that the matter had become public.

Ukraine’s embassy in Seoul did not respond to a request for comment. The two North Korean soldiers, captured in Russia’s Kursk region in January 2025, were the first from Pyongyang to be taken alive since North Korea entered the war in 2024.