South Korea Demands an Apology From Ukraine Over North Korean POW Disclosure
A diplomatic disagreement has emerged between South Korea and Ukraine after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly revealed that two North Korean prisoners of war captured by Ukrainian forces had been transferred to South Korea.
Zelenskyy disclosed the transfer during his address to the United Nations General Assembly. South Korean officials subsequently said the information was supposed to remain confidential and expressed strong regret over the announcement.
On September 27, the South Korean presidential office demanded an official explanation and apology from Ukraine. Seoul maintained that a confidentiality understanding had existed, while Ukraine reportedly disputed or interpreted the arrangement differently.
The disagreement is particularly sensitive because it concerns North Korean soldiers captured while fighting alongside Russian forces in the war against Ukraine. Their presence has become evidence of the increasingly close military relationship between Moscow and Pyongyang.
According to South Korean reporting, the two prisoners arrived in South Korea several days before Zelenskyy’s announcement. Their identities and exact circumstances have not been publicly detailed, an understandable precaution given the risks to them and potentially to relatives still living in North Korea.
South Korea’s constitution treats the entire Korean Peninsula as its national territory, and people from North Korea who reach the South can enter a government-led resettlement process. However, prisoners captured in an international armed conflict may also raise questions involving international humanitarian law, their stated wishes and the responsibilities of the countries holding them.
The public disclosure could create security concerns. North Korea exercises extensive control over its population and has previously been accused of punishing relatives of people regarded as defectors or traitors. That makes confidentiality more than a matter of diplomatic protocol—it may also affect personal safety.
Ukraine may have viewed the transfer as evidence of North Korea’s direct participation in Russia’s war. Publicising it could strengthen Kyiv’s argument that the conflict involves a broader international security challenge.
Seoul, however, appears to have prioritised the safety of the men and protection of confidential diplomatic arrangements. The dispute illustrates how two partner countries can have different communication priorities even when they broadly agree about the underlying security threat.
Until the governments disclose more documentation, reports should carefully attribute the competing claims. It is confirmed that the transfer was announced publicly and that Seoul protested. The exact wording and scope of the alleged confidentiality agreement remain disputed.
Key points
- Ukraine transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea.
- President Zelenskyy publicly disclosed the transfer at the UN.
- Seoul says the disclosure breached a confidentiality agreement.
- The two governments have offered differing accounts.
- The prisoners’ security and their relatives’ safety are major concerns.
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