Seoul Demands Ukraine Apology
South Korea demands an apology from Ukraine over the public disclosure of North Korean POWs.
Anonymous
Key Points
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South Korea’s Foreign Ministry summoned Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires in Seoul on Monday and sought a government-level apology over the disclosure.
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South Korean authorities said Kyiv had sought confidentiality partly because it feared that giving up the possibility of exchanging the soldiers for Ukrainian prisoners could prompt criticism at home.
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South Korean reports said Ukrainian forces captured the two soldiers in Russia’s Kursk region in January 2025, after they had been deployed there alongside Russian forces.
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Seoul said it could consider further measures in response to the disclosure, while maintaining that the transfer was handled in accordance with the two detainees’ wishes.
South Korea and Ukraine are locked in a diplomatic standoff over Kyiv's public disclosure of two captured North Korean soldiers. South Korean Foreign Ministry summoned Ukraine's top diplomat in Seoul on Monday, demanding a government-level apology and warning of further measures if the disclosure continues unaddressed. South Korea says the transfer was meant to stay secret to protect the soldiers and their families.
President Zelenskyy announced the prisoner transfer at the UN General Assembly, breaking what Seoul claims was a confidentiality agreement. Ukraine disputes that any such agreement existed. The two North Korean soldiers were captured in Russia's Kursk region in January 2025 after being deployed alongside Russian forces, according to South Korean reports.
Seoul's Confidentiality Demand and Security Fears
South Korea explicitly asked Ukraine to keep the prisoner transfer quiet. Seoul's government said the secrecy was needed to shield the soldiers and their families from potential retaliation by North Korea. Officials also feared that revealing the exchange would spark domestic criticism in Ukraine for giving up a chance to trade the soldiers for Ukrainian prisoners held by Russia.
The confidentiality request made sense on multiple fronts. Exposing the soldiers' location to North Korea could endanger their relatives back home. Seoul also wanted to protect Ukraine's negotiating position for future prisoner swaps with Russia. Zelenskyy's UN announcement shattered both objectives at once.
Zelenskyy's Public Disclosure Breaks Trust
President Zelenskyy announced the North Korean prisoner transfer at the UN General Assembly without alerting Seoul first. The announcement caught South Korea off guard and violated what Seoul believed was a clear confidentiality understanding. South Korea's Foreign Ministry said the disclosure has significantly damaged trust between the two countries.
Ukraine disputes Seoul's account entirely. Kyiv says no confidentiality agreement was ever formally established. This disagreement over whether a secret pact existed sits at the heart of the diplomatic crisis. Neither side has budged from its position so far.
South Korea Threatens Escalating Consequences
President Lee Jae-myung has warned that South Korea will take additional measures if Ukraine refuses to issue a public apology. Seoul has not specified what those steps might be, but the threat signals serious frustration. Lee said further action depends on whether Ukraine provides the formal acknowledgment Seoul demands.
Seoul maintains that the prisoner transfer itself was handled correctly and in line with the soldiers' own wishes. The anger is purely over how Zelenskyy announced it. South Korea continues to insist that Ukraine violated a confidentiality commitment and damaged the relationship between the two allies.
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