Seoul Demands an Apology From Kyiv Over the Disclosure of North Korean Prisoner Transfers

A dispute between South Korea and Ukraine over two North Korean prisoners of war has become public and unusually sharp. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the United Nations on September 23 that Ukraine had sent two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea, adding that they had not been easy to capture alive. Seoul's presidential office then demanded an explanation and an apology, accusing Kyiv of disclosing the transfer and then denying that the two governments had agreed to keep it confidential.

South Korean officials say Ukraine raised the transfer through several channels and asked for secrecy, arguing that publicity could expose Kyiv to domestic criticism for giving up prisoners it might otherwise have exchanged for its own soldiers. Seoul agreed for security, diplomatic, and humanitarian reasons, including the safety of the two men and their families. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Zelensky had violated that understanding. Euronews noted that North Korean troops were deployed alongside Russian forces after Moscow sought help from allies to sustain its troop numbers.

Kyiv rejects that characterization. Presidential aide Dmytro Lytvyn said Ukraine is an open country and that handing over the soldiers in secret would have been unusual. Russian state media reported the dispute as Seoul demanding an apology from Zelensky, and South Korean outlets described the disagreement as a direct conflict over whether an agreement existed at all, with Seoul insisting it did and Kyiv insisting it did not.

This episode matters beyond diplomatic protocol. South Korea has limited its material support for Ukraine partly to avoid provoking Pyongyang and complicating its relations with Moscow, and a public dispute over trust makes it harder for Seoul to justify expanding that support domestically.