South Korea warns Ukraine over disclosure of North Korean prisoners

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has warned of unspecified “further action” unless Ukraine publicly apologises for revealing that two captured North Korean soldiers had been transferred to South Korea, deepening a dispute over whether the countries agreed to keep the move secret.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky disclosed the transfer in a speech to the UN General Assembly last week. Seoul says Ukraine had asked that it remain confidential. Zelensky’s office says there was no such agreement.

The two soldiers were captured while fighting for Russia in the Kursk region, Al Jazeera reported. They were among thousands of North Koreans supporting Russia in its war against Ukraine, according to the BBC, and had previously told local media they wanted to go to South Korea.

Lee called on Kyiv to acknowledge the agreement and apologise. In a post on X, he rejected Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha’s description of the dispute as a “diplomatic misunderstanding”, saying it concerned “the dignity of the Korean people and the nation”.

“We express serious regret that, instead of acknowledging the facts of the agreement and apologising, they are talking about an imminent military clash between the North and South,” Lee wrote. He accused Kyiv of attempting to “bring war on the Korean Peninsula”.

Sybiha, speaking to Ukrainian media on Thursday, said he hoped the dispute would be resolved soon. “We are working on it. For us, South Korea is an important country,” he said, expressing hope for continued cooperation and concrete results.

The disagreement turns on what the two governments said before the prisoners were moved. South Korea’s senior presidential secretary, Seong Ghi-hong, said Ukraine had discussed the transfer with Seoul repeatedly through several channels and had requested secrecy. Lee’s office said last week that Ukraine wanted to protect the prisoners’ families and avoid criticism that it had forgone a chance to exchange the soldiers for Ukrainian prisoners of war, the BBC reported.

Zelensky’s office disputed Seoul’s account, saying the countries had made no agreement to keep the transfer confidential. South Korea has demanded an official apology and an explanation from Ukraine.

The disclosure also drew criticism of Lee at home. South Korea’s opposition accused him of concealing the transfer to appease Pyongyang, the BBC reported.

Seoul has been sympathetic to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion, but has maintained its longstanding policy against supplying lethal weapons to countries engaged in active war, according to the BBC.