POW transfer, DMZ blast complicate Lee's peace initiative

President Lee Jae Myung’s trip to the United Nations and Mexico was overshadowed by controversy at home over two North Korean prisoners of war and a suspected land mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone. Experts said the incidents exposed the difficulty of his peace initiative as North Korea kept a hostile stance toward Seoul. They also questioned whether renewed U.S.-North Korea talks could protect South Korea’s security interests.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed during his U.N. General Assembly address that two North Korean soldiers captured in Russia’s Kursk region had been transferred to South Korea.

Lee said the transfer had been agreed to remain private, and Seoul said it sought confidentiality to protect the soldiers and their families still in North Korea.

Three South Korean soldiers were injured in a suspected land mine explosion in the western section of the DMZ on Sept. 21.

The South Korean military and the United Nations Command conducted preparatory work at the site on Saturday ahead of a joint investigation.

Nam Sung-wook, Shin Kak-soo and Yang Uk each warned that any renewed U.S.-North Korea dialogue could leave South Korea’s security concerns insufficiently reflected.

Published Sep 27, 2026 3:10 pm KST

Updated Sep 27, 2026 4:01 pm KST

Experts question whether US-NK talks will address Seoul's security concerns

President Lee Jae Myung delivers a keynote address at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Tuesday (local time). Yonhap

President Lee Jae Myung’s trip to the United Nations and Mexico, where he emphasized peace on the Korean Peninsula and renewed U.S.-North Korea dialogue, was overshadowed at home by controversy over the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war and a suspected land mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

Experts said the incidents drew attention to the challenges facing Lee’s peace initiative as Pyongyang maintains its hostile stance toward Seoul. They also questioned whether renewed U.S.-North Korea talks would adequately address South Korea’s security concerns.

Nam Sung-wook, a professor at Sookmyung Women’s University, said North Korea would be unlikely to respond positively to peace overtures under normal circumstances, and that the incidents have likely added to the tension.

“I don’t think North Korea would have shown much enthusiasm toward the Lee Jae Myung government even if these two incidents had not happened,” Nam said. “North Korea is already playing a bigger game with President Trump.”

Nam said Pyongyang is more interested in negotiating directly with U.S. President Donald Trump than improving relations with Seoul, making a possible meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un more consequential than Lee’s U.N. address.

“The two incidents reflect the complexity of issues on the Korean Peninsula,” he added.

Shin Kak-soo, a former South Korean ambassador to Japan, said the central question was whether renewed talks would bring meaningful progress toward denuclearization.

“Even if there are interim steps, without a road map for the entire denuclearization process, it would effectively mean recognizing North Korea as a nuclear weapons state,” Shin said.

He warned that Washington could secure concessions on intercontinental ballistic missiles while leaving North Korea’s nuclear threat against South Korea intact if Seoul’s interests were not adequately reflected in negotiations.

“Rather than simply focusing on arranging a meeting between the U.S. and North Korean leaders, it is important to coordinate closely with Washington and develop a negotiating strategy that reflects South Korea’s interests,” he said.

A Surion helicopter flies over the southern boundary of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. Several Army soldiers were seriously injured in a suspected land mine explosion in the DMZ the previous day. Military authorities are investigating the cause of the blast. Yonhap

Yang Uk, a research fellow and director at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said the DMZ incident highlighted the need to maintain military readiness amid North Korea’s continued military activities along the border.

“No matter how much we talk about dialogue, North Korea is continuing its preparations for war,” Yang said, pointing to Pyongyang’s ongoing military activities along the border.

He warned that U.S.-North Korea talks could leave Seoul’s security interests unaddressed if Washington and Pyongyang negotiated primarily around their own priorities.

Yang called for maintaining military readiness alongside diplomacy, with the unification, defense and foreign ministries coordinating closely.

The POW controversy began after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed during his U.N. General Assembly address that two North Korean soldiers captured in Russia’s Kursk region had been transferred to South Korea.

Lee expressed regret over the disclosure, saying the two countries had agreed to keep the transfer private. Seoul said it had sought confidentiality to protect the soldiers and their families still in North Korea. A Ukrainian presidential source reportedly denied the existence of such an agreement.

Nam said Pyongyang might avoid publicly acknowledging the transfer.

“From North Korea’s point of view, there is no need to talk about it,” he said.

Separately, three South Korean soldiers were injured in a suspected land mine explosion in the western section of the DMZ on Sept. 21. The cause and origin of the explosive remain undetermined, while the military’s response and investigation procedures have drawn political scrutiny.

The South Korean military and the United Nations Command conducted preparatory work at the site Saturday, ahead of a joint investigation.

Lee used his U.N. address and diplomatic meetings to promote renewed dialogue and a phased approach to denuclearization, beginning with a halt to nuclear weapons development. North Korea has yet to respond positively to Seoul’s calls for dialogue.

李在明总统访问联合国和墨西哥期间，国内因两名朝鲜战俘和一起疑似在非军事区发生的地雷爆炸事件而陷入争议。专家表示，这些事件暴露了李在明总统和平倡议的艰难，因为朝鲜对首尔仍保持敌对立场。他们还质疑重启美朝对话是否能够维护韩国的安全利益。

乌克兰总统泽连斯基在联合国大会上发表讲话时透露，两名在俄罗斯库尔斯克地区被俘的朝鲜士兵已被移交给韩国。

李表示，此次移交已达成协议，将保持私密性。首尔方面表示，寻求保密是为了保护仍在朝鲜的士兵及其家属。

9月21日，三名韩国士兵在非军事区西部疑似触雷爆炸受伤。

周六，韩国军方和联合国军司令部在现场进行了准备工作，为联合调查做准备。

南成旭、申觉洙和杨宇分别警告说，任何重启的美朝对话都可能使韩国的安全关切得不到充分体现。

发布于2026年9月27日下午3:10（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年9月27日下午4:01（韩国标准时间）

专家质疑美朝会谈能否解决首尔的安全顾虑。

韩国总统李在明周二（当地时间）在纽约联合国大会上发表主旨演讲。（韩联社）

李在明总统访问联合国和墨西哥，强调朝鲜半岛和平以及重启美朝对话，但此次访问在国内却因两名朝鲜战俘移交以及非军事区（DMZ）疑似地雷爆炸事件引发的争议而黯然失色。

专家表示，这些事件凸显了李明博和平倡议面临的挑战，因为平壤方面仍然对首尔持敌对立场。他们还质疑，重启美朝对话是否能够充分解决韩国的安全关切。

淑明女子大学教授南成旭表示，在正常情况下，朝鲜不太可能对和平提议做出积极回应，而这些事件很可能加剧了紧张局势。

“即便没有发生这两起事件，我认为朝鲜也不会对李在明政府表现出多大的热情，”南先生说。“朝鲜已经在和特朗普总统玩一场更大的游戏了。”

南表示，平壤更感兴趣的是与美国总统唐纳德·特朗普直接谈判，而不是改善与首尔的关系，这使得特朗普与金正恩的可能会面比李在联合国的讲话更具意义。

“这两起事件反映了朝鲜半岛问题的复杂性，”他补充道。

韩国前驻日本大使申觉洙表示，核心问题是重启谈判能否在无核化方面取得实质性进展。

申表示：“即使采取一些过渡性措施，但如果没有整个无核化进程的路线图，实际上就等于承认朝鲜是一个核武器国家。”

他警告说，如果首尔的利益在谈判中得不到充分体现，华盛顿可能会在洲际弹道导弹问题上取得让步，同时却让朝鲜对韩国的核威胁保持不变。

他说：“与其仅仅专注于安排美朝领导人会晤，不如与华盛顿密切协调，制定反映韩国利益的谈判策略。”

周二，一架“苏里翁”直升机飞越京畿道坡州市非军事区（DMZ）南部边界。前一天，非军事区发生疑似地雷爆炸，造成数名陆军士兵重伤。军方正在调查爆炸原因。（韩联社）

峨山政策研究所研究员兼主任杨宇表示，非军事区事件凸显了在朝鲜持续沿边境进行军事活动的情况下，保持军事战备的必要性。

“无论我们如何谈论对话，朝鲜仍在继续进行战争准备，”杨说道，并指出平壤在边境地区持续开展军事活动。

他警告说，如果华盛顿和平壤主要围绕各自的优先事项进行谈判，那么美朝会谈可能会使首尔的安全利益得不到解决。

杨洁篪呼吁在外交之外保持军事战备，统一部、国防部和外交部密切协调配合。

乌克兰总统泽连斯基在联合国大会上发表讲话时透露，两名在俄罗斯库尔斯克地区被俘的朝鲜士兵已被转移到韩国，由此引发了战俘争议。

李对泄露事件表示遗憾，称两国曾同意对此次移交保密。首尔方面表示，寻求保密是为了保护仍在朝鲜的士兵及其家属。据报道，乌克兰总统府消息人士否认存在此类协议。

南表示，平壤可能不会公开承认此次移交。

他说：“从朝鲜的角度来看，没有必要谈论这个问题。”

另据报道，9月21日，三名韩国士兵在非军事区西部地区疑似触雷受伤。爆炸原因和来源尚未确定，而军方的应对和调查程序也引起了政治界的关注。

周六，韩国军方和联合国军司令部在现场进行了准备工作，为联合调查做准备。

李在镕利用联合国大会的演讲和外交会晤，推动重启对话，并倡导分阶段推进无核化进程，首先是停止核武器研发。朝鲜尚未对首尔提出的对话呼吁做出积极回应。