The unilateral revelation by kyiv of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea broke, according to South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, a confidentiality agreement. He warned on Friday that Seoul would take "further measures" if kyiv refuses to present an official apology.
Published on: 02/10/2026 - 07:31 Modified on: 02/10/2026 - 10:03
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung warned on Friday, October 2, that Seoul will take "further measures" if Ukraine refuses to present an official apology after kyiv's unilateral revelation of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war.
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The transfer of prisoners from Ukraine to South Korea, revealed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the United Nations last week, led to a diplomatic falling out between kyiv and Seoul, which wanted to keep it secret.
On Sunday, the South Korean presidency demanded an apology from Ukraine, saying that kyiv had broken a confidentiality agreement, then summoned the Ukrainian representative in Seoul to express its “deep concern”.
“If Ukraine continues to refuse to acknowledge the facts and publicly apologize, we will take further action,” Lee Jae-myung wrote on Friday on X, accusing kyiv of making him look like a “liar.”
“This is an issue that affects the dignity of the Republic of Korea and its people, and cannot be ignored,” he added.
South Korea does not provide military aid to Ukraine in the conflict against Russia but provides it with financial support.
President Lee referred to statements by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga published by RBC-Ukraine and other Ukrainian media.
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The latter declared that he “did not want to call it an incident”, but rather a “diplomatic misunderstanding”. “South Korea is an important country for us. And I very much hope for momentum, continued cooperation and concrete results” with this country, he said.
kyiv, however, has not apologized to Seoul to date.
Fears of reprisals for families of defecting soldiers
The quarrel comes at a time when Ukraine is demanding increased support from its allies in the face of intensifying Russian bombings, while North Korea is providing thousands of soldiers and missiles to Moscow.
The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs told AFP on Friday that the heads of diplomacy of the two countries were in contact to find a way to resolve the dispute.
A close friend of Volodymyr Zelensky, Dmytro Lytvyn, pleaded good faith last week, stressing that Ukraine was an "open country" and that handing over the soldiers in secret would have been strange.
But South Korea said it feared that the families of the two defecting soldiers would face reprisals in North Korea.
According to South Korean analysts, President Lee's strong reaction can also be explained by his annoyance at seeing these defections made public at a time when he is increasing - without tangible success to date - gestures of appeasement towards Pyongyang.
In this regard, the tone used towards kyiv contrasts with the "extreme caution" shown by the government after the explosion of a North Korean mine in the Demilitarized Zone injured three South Korean officers on September 21, notes Shin Yul, professor of political science at Myongji University.
With AFP
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