South Korea Demands Apology from Ukraine Over Leaked North Korean POW Transfer
- More on this story: South Korea summons Ukraine acting ambassador over POW transfer disclosure
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s disclosure at the United Nations General Assembly last week regarding the transfer of two North Korean soldiers to South Korea has prompted a diplomatic dispute between Kyiv and Seoul. While Ukraine views the transfer as a humanitarian act, the South Korean government has publicly demanded an apology, alleging that Kyiv violated a confidential agreement regarding the soldiers.
The Dispute Over Confidentiality
The two North Korean soldiers, who had been fighting on behalf of Russia, were captured by Ukrainian forces in January 2025 in the Kursk region. The soldiers expressed a desire to relocate to South Korea, a request the South Korean government pushed Kyiv to facilitate.
Tensions escalated after President Zelenskyy publicly revealed the transfer during his address in New York. South Korean officials contend that both nations had reached a clear agreement to maintain the confidentiality of the handover to protect the soldiers’ families from potential retaliation by the North Korean regime. Song Gi Hong, a senior public relations advisor to the South Korean president, stated that the presidential office feels “deep regret” over Ukraine’s unilateral disclosure and the subsequent denial that a nondisclosure agreement existed, as reported by Yonhap.
Conflicting Perspectives on the Handover
The two governments differ on the nature of the communication surrounding the event. While South Korean officials describe the situation as a serious breach of trust, the Ukrainian President’s office told the news agency Yonhap that Kyiv had only disclosed the fact of the transfer, not the specific details, and argued that it would be “strange” to keep the entire operation a secret, according to Yonhap.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha attempted to de-escalate the rhetoric in an interview published last Thursday, characterizing the event as a “diplomatic misunderstanding” rather than an incident. “Dienvidkoreja mums ir svarīga valsts. Un es ļoti ceru uz impulsu, turpmāku sadarbību un konkrētiem rezultātiem, kurus mēs patiešām kopā ar viņiem sasniedzam,” Sybiha said, as noted in reports covering the fallout.
South Korea Considers Action over Ukraine Apology
The South Korean government has indicated it may take further action if Ukraine does not formally apologize. In a statement on the platform X, a South Korean official noted that the issue concerns the “dignity” of the Republic of Korea and its citizens, which the government cannot ignore.
South Korea has historically maintained a policy of accepting defectors from the North, treating them as citizens of its own territory. Since the end of the Korean War in 1953, more than 34,000 people have defected to the South, though the capture and transfer of North Korean soldiers remains an infrequent occurrence. While South Korea has provided humanitarian aid to Ukraine, it has thus far refrained from sending direct military assistance to the region, according to Yonhap.
Unresolved Demands for Accountability
As of the latest reports, the request for a formal apology from Kyiv remains unfulfilled. The identities of the two soldiers are known, as they were photographed by South Korean media prior to their arrival in the country. It remains unclear what specific further measures Seoul might pursue, or whether the diplomatic friction will impact the broader cooperation between the two nations as the conflict in Ukraine continues.