Row between Ukraine, South Korea mounts over North Korean POWs

South Korea’s ⁠President accused Ukraine of ⁠undermining him and called on Kyiv to apologise.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (C) arrives for the 78th Armed Forces Day at a military base in Gyeryong on October 1, 2026. [AFP]

South Korea’s ⁠President ⁠Lee Jae Myung has expressed anger at Ukraine over comments by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a speech at the UN which appeared to reveal a secret deal by which Kyiv would transfer North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul.

In a social media post on Friday, Lee accused Ukraine of undermining him and ⁠warned that Zelenskyy’s ⁠remarks about an imminent military clash between North and South Korea ‌amounted to invoking the risk of war on ‌the ‌Korean Peninsula.

list 1 of 3 Ukraine’s Zelenskyy calls for sustained pressure to end ‘Putin’s crazy war’

list 2 of 3 Why South Korea is demanding an apology from Ukraine over North Korean PoWs

list 3 of 3 S Korea demands apology over DMZ blasts as N Korea denies planting mines

The diplomatic row pits two US-aligned states with powerful militaries against each other, potentially complicating US efforts to shore up a united global front to contain Russia, China and North Korea.

The South Korean president also expressed ⁠regret over Ukraine’s response and called on Kyiv to acknowledge the agreement and apologise.

“This is a matter concerning the honor of the Republic of Korea’s people and nation, we cannot overlook it,” Lee said.

South Korean Lawmaker Yu Yong-weon explains pictures, showing two North Korean POWs who were recently transferred from Ukraine to South Korea. Face of POWs are blurred due to security reason by the source. [File: Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters]

Lee also referred to an interview with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha published by RBC-Ukraine and other Ukrainian outlets on Thursday which sought to reduce bilateral tensions.

Sybiha had said he would “not like to call it an incident”, describing it instead as a “diplomatic misunderstanding”.

“South Korea is an important country for us. And I very much hope for momentum, continued cooperation, and concrete results that we are indeed achieving with them,” he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during the UN General Assembly that Kyiv had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea after they were caught fighting for Russia in the Kursk region.

South Korea demanded an official apology and explanation from Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of disclosing the transfer of the two North Korean POWs to Seoul.

South Korea’s senior presidential secretary Seong Ghi-hong said in a statement that Ukraine had repeatedly discussed the prisoners’ transfer with Seoul through various channels and had requested secrecy. However, Kyiv has said no secrecy agreement existed.

韩国总统指责乌克兰破坏他的利益，并呼吁基辅道歉。

2026年10月1日，韩国总统李在明（中）抵达鸡龙某军事基地，参加第78届韩国建军节。[法新社]

韩国总统李在明对乌克兰总统泽连斯基在联合国大会上的讲话表示愤怒，泽连斯基的讲话似乎透露了一项秘密协议，根据该协议，基辅将把朝鲜战俘转移到首尔。

李在周五的社交媒体帖子中指责乌克兰破坏他的计划，并警告说，泽连斯基关于朝鲜和韩国之间即将发生军事冲突的言论相当于在朝鲜半岛挑起战争风险。

列表 1/3：乌克兰总统泽连斯基呼吁持续施压，结束“普京的疯狂战争”

韩国要求乌克兰就朝鲜战俘事件道歉的原因（共3条，此为第2条）

韩国要求朝鲜就非军事区爆炸事件道歉，朝鲜否认埋设地雷（共3条，此为第3条）

这场外交争端使两个拥有强大军事力量的美国盟友国家对立起来，可能会使美国为遏制俄罗斯、中国和朝鲜而建立统一的全球阵线的努力变得更加复杂。

韩国总统也对乌克兰的反应表示遗憾，并呼吁基辅承认该协议并道歉。

“这事关大韩民国人民和国家的荣誉，我们不能忽视，”李说。

韩国议员俞永元解释了照片，照片显示的是两名近期从乌克兰转移到韩国的朝鲜战俘。出于安全考虑，消息来源对战俘的面部进行了模糊处理。[图片：金洪基/路透社]

李还提到了 RBC-Ukraine 和其他乌克兰媒体周四发表的对乌克兰外交部长安德烈·西比哈的采访，该采访旨在缓解双边紧张局势。

Sybiha曾表示他“不想称之为事件”，而是将其描述为“外交误会”。

“韩国对我们来说是一个重要的国家。我非常希望我们与他们能够保持目前的势头，继续合作，并取得我们正在取得的切实成果。”他说道。

乌克兰总统泽连斯基在联合国大会上表示，基辅方面已将两名在库尔斯克地区为俄罗斯作战而被俘的朝鲜士兵移交给韩国。

韩国要求乌克兰正式道歉并作出解释，指责基辅泄露了将两名朝鲜战俘转移到首尔的消息。

韩国总统府高级秘书成基弘在一份声明中表示，乌克兰曾多次通过各种渠道与首尔讨论移交囚犯事宜，并要求保密。但基辅方面表示，双方并无保密协议。