South Korea demands apology from Ukraine over disclosure of North Korean POW transfer

The Blue House on Sunday demanded an apology from Kyiv, voicing “strong regret” over Ukraine's unilateral disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POW) to South Korea and its denial of a confidentiality agreement regarding the matter.

"We express strong regret over the Ukrainian government’s unilateral disclosure in violation of the confidentiality agreement, and its subsequent false public statement denying the existence of an agreement, and demand an official explanation and apology," Seong Ghi-hong, senior presidential secretary for public relations, said in a statement. "We are also reviewing further necessary measures regarding this matter."

During his address at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed that Ukraine recently sent two North Korean soldiers captured in Russia’s Kursk region in 2025 to South Korea. North Korea has sent thousands of troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine.

President Lee Jae Myung wrote in an X post on Thursday that it was "deeply regrettable" that Zelensky revealed the information, calling it a "violation of the agreement to confidentiality."

However, Ukrainian media outlets reported that a Ukrainian presidential official denied the existence of a confidentiality agreement with Seoul.

“While it is a grave issue that the Ukrainian side unilaterally disclosed information, violating a bilateral confidentiality agreement without prior consultation or even notification, it is equally serious that the Ukrainian presidential office’s press division falsely claimed no such agreement existed in response to our president’s legitimate, fact-based public remarks,” Seong said. “Such actions severely undermine trust between the two governments and inflict significant damage on our friendly relations.”

Seong stressed that the issue of repatriating North Korean POWs to South Korea “is a matter that has long been the subject of careful deliberation, given that it’s a highly sensitive matter that concerns security, diplomacy, national defense and human rights — both domestically and internationally.”

He added that the Ukrainian government consulted with South Korea on the transfer of the POWs through various channels on multiple occasions.

The South Korean government has maintained that it would handle the situation based on the individuals’ own free will, as well as relevant domestic laws, international law and humanitarian principles.

Seong said during these discussions, Kyiv requested confidentiality, “noting the sensitivity of the matter, specifically the risk of domestic backlash over the potential loss of opportunities to exchange these individuals for a larger number of their own captured soldiers.”

He added that Seoul agreed to keep the matter private, taking into account various factors such as the safety of the prisoners and their families, as well as diplomatic and security considerations, and proceeded with the repatriation process.

Seong said that the Ukrainian government “unilaterally and abruptly” revealed the transfer of the North Korean POWs to South Korea during Zelensky’s speech at the UN General Assembly “without providing sufficient prior explanation or engaging in detailed consultation with us.”

Seong also expressed “deep regret that certain domestic figures are politicizing this sensitive diplomatic and security issue, which directly concerns the national interest, rather than pointing out the Ukrainian government's wrongdoing,” pointing to backlash from the opposition bloc.

BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]