Lee's growing social media use leads to another diplomatic dispute

President Lee Jae Myung’s growing use of X has triggered another diplomatic dispute, this time with Ukraine after a similar clash with Israel in April. Lee warned Kyiv of additional measures unless it apologizes for disclosing the transfer of two North Korean POWs, while Ukraine denied any secrecy deal existed. Analysts said the posts narrowed diplomatic room and exposed risks from direct online communication. His posting frequency has also surged, with 114 posts in September.

Zelenskyy disclosed in a U.N. General Assembly speech on Sept. 23 that the two North Korean POWs had been sent to South Korea.

Lee posted 114 times on X in September, up 216.6 percent from 36 posts in August.

Lee had 78 posts in June and 81 in July.

Rep. Joo Jin-woo of the main opposition People Power Party filed a complaint after Lee uploaded a photograph of a confidential Cheong Wa Dae document while publicizing anti-voice-phishing efforts.

Published Oct 5, 2026 2:34 pm KST

Updated Oct 5, 2026 3:27 pm KST

President Lee Jae Myung delivers a speech during a ceremony marking the 30th Senior Citizens' Day at a hotel in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

As President Lee Jae Myung steps up his activity on X (formerly Twitter) to address sensitive foreign and domestic issues, he is once again seeing social media comments spilling into a diplomatic dispute — this time with Ukraine, following a row with Israel in April.

Lee warned Ukraine on Friday that South Korea would take “additional measures” unless Kyiv acknowledges what Seoul says was an agreement to keep the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) confidential and issues a public apology.

The disagreement began after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed in a U.N. General Assembly speech on Sept. 23 that the POWs had been sent to South Korea.

They were captured while fighting for Russia and later expressed a desire to resettle in the South.

Seoul said the disclosure violated an arrangement intended to protect the men and their families. Ukraine denied that any such agreement existed and described the episode as a diplomatic misunderstanding.

A post by President Lee Jae Myung on Friday criticizes Ukraine over its disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea. Captured from Lee Jae Myung’s X account

Lee initially wrote on X that Zelenskyy’s announcement was “very disappointing” and later escalated his criticism by accusing Ukraine of encouraging conflict on the Korean Peninsula and warning of further action.

“Publicly demanding an acknowledgment and apology from Ukraine risks narrowing the diplomatic room for both sides to resolve the dispute quietly,” said Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University.

The professor said Lee’s social media posts complicated efforts to settle the matter through diplomatic channels, pointing out that the two countries’ foreign ministers have discussed how Ukraine should respond to South Korea's demand for an apology while seeking a solution acceptable to both sides.

The episode bore similarities to Lee’s clash with Israel in April, when he shared footage purportedly showing Israeli soldiers abusing a young Palestinian and throwing his body off a rooftop and compared Israel’s conduct to the Holocaust and Japan’s wartime sexual enslavement of women.

Israel’s foreign ministry accused the president of circulating misleading information and trivializing the Holocaust, prompting Lee to call the interpretation disappointing and Seoul’s foreign ministry to stress that his comments concerned universal human rights.

“Both cases illustrate the risks created by the president’s growing reliance on online platforms to communicate without traditional media or presidential aides acting as intermediaries,” said Jung Jae-hwan, a political science professor at Inha University.

The president's posting frequency has climbed steeply in recent weeks, with 114 posts on X in September, up 216.6 percent from 36 in August, after 78 in June and 81 in July.

The increase reflects his belief that the government has failed to explain its policies effectively.

On Sept. 30, Lee called social media a direct channel between himself and the public, pledging to listen and directly report to citizens without intermediaries, particularly during difficult periods.

However, the approach has also exposed him to allegations that presidential messages are being released without sufficient review.

Lee recently uploaded a photograph of a confidential Cheong Wa Dae document while publicizing efforts to combat voice phishing.

Rep. Joo Jin-woo from the main opposition People Power Party subsequently filed a complaint accusing him for disclosing confidential information.

Critics also argue that Lee’s approach can amount to selective communication because he determines which posts receive attention while leaving difficult questions on housing, prices and security unanswered.

韩国总统李在明越来越多地使用X平台引发了另一场外交争端，这次是继今年4月与以色列发生类似冲突后，与乌克兰的争端。李在明警告基辅，除非乌克兰就泄露两名朝鲜战俘移交一事道歉，否则韩国将采取进一步措施。而乌克兰则否认存在任何保密协议。分析人士指出，李在明的这些言论缩小了外交空间，并暴露了直接网络沟通的风险。他的发帖频率也大幅上升，9月份就发布了114条帖子。

泽连斯基在9月23日联合国大会的讲话中透露，两名朝鲜战俘已被送往韩国。

Lee 在 9 月份在 X 上发布了 114 篇文章，比 8 月份的 36 篇文章增加了 216.6%。

Lee 六月份发帖 78 条，七月份发帖 81 条。

在李某宣传打击语音钓鱼活动时，他上传了一张青瓦台机密文件的照片，之后，主要反对党国民力量党的议员朱镇宇提出了投诉。

发布于2026年10月5日下午2:34（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月5日下午3:27（韩国标准时间）

周五，韩国总统李在明在首尔一家酒店举行的庆祝第30个老年人节的仪式上发表讲话。（韩联社）

随着李在明总统加大力度在X（前身为Twitter）上处理敏感的国内外问题，他再次发现社交媒体上的评论演变成外交争端——这次是与乌克兰的争端，此前在4月份与以色列发生了争端。

李在周五警告乌克兰，除非基辅承认首尔所说的关于对两名朝鲜战俘移交保密的协议并公开道歉，否则韩国将采取“进一步措施”。

这场分歧始于乌克兰总统泽连斯基9月23日在联合国大会上的讲话，他透露这些战俘已被送往韩国。

他们在为俄罗斯作战时被俘，后来表达了在南方重新定居的愿望。

首尔方面表示，此次披露违反了旨在保护这些士兵及其家人的协议。乌克兰方面否认存在任何此类协议，并将此事描述为外交误会。

韩国总统李在明周五发帖批评乌克兰泄露两名朝鲜战俘移交给韩国的消息。帖子内容来自李在明的X账号。

李最初在 X 上写道，泽连斯基的声明“非常令人失望”，后来又升级了他的批评，指责乌克兰鼓励朝鲜半岛冲突，并警告将采取进一步行动。

“公开要求乌克兰承认错误并道歉，可能会缩小双方通过外交途径悄悄解决争端的空间，”明知大学政治学教授申烈表示。

这位教授表示，李的社交媒体帖子使通过外交渠道解决问题的努力变得更加复杂，并指出两国的外交部长已经讨论了乌克兰应该如何回应韩国要求道歉的请求，同时寻求双方都能接受的解决方案。

这一事件与李在四月份与以色列的冲突有相似之处，当时他分享了一段据称显示以色列士兵虐待一名年轻巴勒斯坦人并将其尸体从屋顶扔下的视频，并将以色列的行为与纳粹对犹太人的大屠杀和日本在战争期间对妇女的性奴役相提并论。

以色列外交部指责总统散布误导性信息并淡化大屠杀，这促使李登辉称这种解读令人失望，而首尔外交部则强调他的言论涉及普世人权。

“这两个案例都说明了总统越来越依赖网络平台进行沟通，而没有传统媒体或总统助手作为中间人，这会带来风险，”仁荷大学政治学教授郑在焕说。

总统最近几周的发帖频率急剧上升，9 月份在 X 上发布了 114 个帖子，比 8 月份的 36 个帖子增加了 216.6%，而 6 月份发布了 78 个帖子，7 月份发布了 81 个帖子。

这一增长反映出他认为政府未能有效解释其政策。

9月30日，李表示，社交媒体是他与公众之间的直接渠道，承诺会倾听民众的声音，并直接向民众汇报情况，不会通过中间人，尤其是在困难时期。

然而，这种做法也让他面临指控，即总统发布的声明未经充分审查。

李某近日上传了一张青瓦台机密文件的照片，同时宣传打击语音网络钓鱼的举措。

随后，主要反对党国民力量党的议员朱镇宇提出申诉，指控他泄露机密信息。

批评人士还认为，李的做法可能构成选择性沟通，因为他决定哪些帖子会受到关注，而对住房、价格和安全等棘手问题却不予回答。