S Korea demands Ukraine apology over disclosure of N Korea’s POW transfer

South Korea’s presidential office criticises Ukraine for denying a POW nondisclosure agreement.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks during the 81st United Nations General Assembly, on September 22, 2026, in New York City [AFP]

South Korea’s presidential office has demanded an official explanation and apology from Ukraine after accusing Kyiv of disclosing the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) to South Korea.

“The presidential office expresses strong regret over Ukraine’s unilateral disclosure and its subsequent false announcement that there had not been a non-disclosure agreement,” Seong Ghi-hong, senior presidential secretary for public relations, said in a statement released on Sunday.

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The government is reviewing additional measures over the issue if necessary, he added.

Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) that Kyiv had recently transferred two North Korean POWs to South Korea. He said the men had been captured while fighting for Russia in its war against Ukraine.

Seong said Ukraine had repeatedly discussed the prisoners’ transfer with Seoul through various channels and had requested secrecy, arguing that public disclosure could trigger domestic criticism that Kyiv had given up an opportunity to exchange the soldiers for Ukrainian prisoners.

South Korea agreed to keep the transfer confidential, given the security, diplomatic and humanitarian concerns, including the safety of the prisoners and their families, he said.

However, according to Sunday’s statement, Zelenskyy then disclosed the transfer to the UNGA without sufficient consultation and subsequently denied the existence of a confidentiality agreement.

Seong said the denial had seriously damaged trust between the two governments and could harm bilateral relations.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung announced in a post on X on Thursday that Ukraine had disclosed the transfer in breach of a non-disclosure agreement.

Lee said “it was appropriate in every aspect not to disclose” the transfer, given the potential consequences, and that the two sides had agreed to keep it confidential.

“I do not know what circumstances led the Ukrainian side to disclose the matter despite the confidentiality agreement, but it is deeply regrettable,” he wrote.

In response, Zelenskyy’s aide, Dmytro Lytvyn, told journalists that Ukraine was “an open country” and that it would have been strange to hand over the soldiers in secret.

“From the entire story – which is long and detailed – we reported only the fact itself, that they were sent to the Republic of Korea,” he said.

Ukraine captured the two North Koreans in Russia’s Kursk region in January 2025. They were the first North Korean soldiers to be captured alive since Pyongyang entered the war in 2024 to assist Russia.

The transfer comes as South Korea has backed efforts to revive dialogue with North Korea, while United States President Donald Trump has renewed his willingness to engage with Pyongyang.

The issue of North Korean prisoners of war was a key topic during the NATO summit in the Turkish capital, Ankara, in July, where South Korean President Lee met Zelenskyy.

South Korea’s senior presidential spokesperson, Kang Yu-jung, stated afterwards that both leaders agreed to resolve the status of North Korean POWs in accordance with international law. This built on a prior agreement reached during the South Korea-Ukraine foreign ministers’ meeting in March, where both nations pledged to cooperate on the POW issue.

According to South Korean intelligence, North Korea is estimated to have deployed approximately 14,000-15,000 soldiers to support Moscow’s war on Ukraine since 2024, primarily in Russia’s Kursk border region .

South Korean, Ukrainian and Western officials said there have been heavy casualties, with more than 6,000 North Korean soldiers killed in the fighting.

韩国总统府批评乌克兰拒绝签署战俘保密协议。

2026年9月22日，韩国总统李在明在纽约举行的第81届联合国大会上发表讲话。[法新社]

韩国总统府指责乌克兰泄露了将两名朝鲜战俘移交给韩国的消息，并要求乌克兰做出正式解释和道歉。

总统府公共关系高级秘书成基洪周日发表声明称：“总统府对乌克兰单方面披露信息以及随后错误地宣布不存在保密协议表示强烈遗憾。”

列表 1/3：三名韩国军官在边境附近爆炸中受伤

泽连斯基称乌克兰向韩国送去了两名朝鲜战俘（共3份清单中的第2份）

乌克兰总统泽连斯基呼吁持续施压，结束“普京的疯狂战争”（共3条，此为第3条）

他补充说，如有必要，政府正在审查针对该问题的更多措施。

上周，乌克兰总统泽连斯基在联合国大会上表示，基辅方面最近已将两名朝鲜战俘移交给韩国。他说，这两名战俘是在俄罗斯对乌克兰的战争中为俄罗斯作战时被俘的。

Seong表示，乌克兰曾多次通过各种渠道与首尔讨论战俘移交事宜，并要求保密，理由是公开披露可能会引发国内批评，认为基辅放弃了用士兵交换乌克兰战俘的机会。

他说，考虑到安全、外交和人道主义方面的考量，包括囚犯及其家人的安全，韩国同意对此次移交保密。

然而，根据周日的声明，泽连斯基随后在没有进行充分磋商的情况下向联合国大会披露了这一移交事件，并随后否认存在保密协议。

成表示，这一否认严重损害了两国政府之间的信任，并可能损害双边关系。

韩国总统李在明周四在X上发帖称，乌克兰违反保密协议，泄露了这笔资金转移事件。

李表示，考虑到潜在的后果，“在任何方面都不公开”这笔转账是“合适的”，而且双方也同意对此保密。

“我不知道是什么情况导致乌克兰方面违反保密协议泄露此事，但这令人深感遗憾，”他写道。

对此，泽连斯基的助手德米特罗·利特温告诉记者，乌克兰是一个“开放的国家”，秘密移交士兵是很奇怪的。

他说：“在整个漫长而详细的报道过程中，我们只报道了他们被送往大韩民国这一事实。”

2025 年 1 月，乌克兰在俄罗斯库尔斯克地区俘获了两名朝鲜士兵。他们是自平壤于 2024 年参战援助俄罗斯以来，首批被活捉的朝鲜士兵。

此次人员调动正值韩国支持恢复与朝鲜对话的努力之际，而美国总统唐纳德·特朗普也重申了与平壤接触的意愿。

朝鲜战俘问题是7月在土耳其首都安卡拉举行的北约峰会的一个关键议题，韩国总统李明博在峰会上与泽连斯基会面。

韩国总统府高级发言人康裕贞随后表示，两国领导人同意根据国际法解决朝鲜战俘地位问题。此前，韩乌两国在3月份举行的外长会议上达成协议，承诺在战俘问题上开展合作。

据韩国情报部门估计，自 2024 年以来，朝鲜已向俄罗斯库尔斯克边境地区部署了约 14,000 至 15,000 名士兵，以支持莫斯科对乌克兰的战争。

韩国、乌克兰和西方官员表示，冲突造成重大伤亡，超过6000名朝鲜士兵在战斗中丧生。