South Korea says Ukraine gave prior notice of Zelensky's North Korean POW disclosure at UN, but not specifics

MEXICO CITY — Kyiv had informed Seoul beforehand that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would mention the two North Korean prisoners of war, or POWs, during his United Nations General Assembly speech, despite reaching a prior understanding not to, a South Korean senior presidential official said on Thursday.

“The Ukrainian side had informed us in advance and sought our understanding,” the Blue House official told reporters at the press center in Mexico City when asked about Zelensky’s public disclosure that his country recently sent two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea.

“We were aware through diplomatic channels of the possibility that such content regarding the repatriation of North Korean prisoners might be included,” the official said, but added, “It was unclear exactly how the matter would be phrased.”

During his address at the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, 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 in support of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

President Lee Jae Myung wrote in an X post on Thursday during his state visit to Mexico that it was “deeply regrettable” that Zelensky revealed the information, calling it a “violation of the agreement to confidentiality.”

Lee continued, “The issue of repatriation of North Korean prisoners is a highly sensitive matter with significant implications for diplomacy, national security and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.”

The presidential official told reporters that Seoul explained its position to Kyiv — that the North Korean soldiers being sent to South Korea should not be made public — as it has “pursued a strategy of managing the situation quietly and as quickly as possible.”

“Regarding the matter of North Korean soldiers captured in Ukraine, our government has consistently maintained that we will handle the situation based on the individuals’ own free will, as well as relevant domestic laws, international law and humanitarian principles,” the official said. “We reached a mutual understanding with Ukraine to handle the process discreetly without public disclosure.”

Zelensky’s remarks caused the situation to “diverge somewhat from the prior understanding,” the official explained.

However, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun’s ongoing discussions with Kyiv about support for Ukraine are a separate matter.

“Such support has been provided in the past and will continue, as it is unrelated to the specific issue at hand,” the official said.

The presidential official also told reporters that “an objective, swift and thorough investigation is underway” into who was responsible for the recent suspected land mine explosion in the demilitarized zone that injured three South Korean soldiers.

The explosion occurred south of the military demarcation line at the inter-Korean border on Monday, leaving three South Korean military officers injured, including one who lost their ankle. It is not known whether South or North Korea planted the land mine.

“It was an unfortunate incident,” the official said. “We must conduct a thorough investigation to determine exactly what type of mine it is and whether North Korea planted it.”

South Korea is conducting the investigation jointly with the UN Command, he added, brushing off allegations by the main opposition People Power Party that the government is intentionally delaying the investigation into the explosion site.

“There is absolutely no possibility of any ulterior motives, concealment or cover-up,” he said.

“We must keep all possibilities open,” the official said regarding the source of the land mine, stressing that “there are absolutely no grounds to cast doubt or suspicion on the investigation.”

BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]