South Korea's presidential office has demanded an official explanation and apology from Ukraine after accusing Kyiv of publicly disclosing the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul without consent.
"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.
The government is reviewing additional measures over the issue if necessary, he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the United Nations General Assembly last week that Kyiv had recently transferred two North Korean prisoners of war 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 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 security, diplomatic and humanitarian concerns, including the safety of the prisoners and their families, he said.
According to Sunday's statement, Zelenskyy then disclosed the transfer to the United Nations General Assembly 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 Ankara in July, where 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 prisoners of war 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 issue.
According to South Korean intelligence, North Korea is estimated to have deployed approximately 14,000 to 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.
