Seoul (HRNW)- South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has expressed regret over Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s public disclosure that two North Korean prisoners of war had been transferred to South Korea, saying the announcement breached a confidentiality agreement between Seoul and Kyiv.
Zelenskyy disclosed the transfer during his address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York. He said Ukraine had handed over two North Korean soldiers captured during the war in the Russian Kursk region.
Lee said South Korea and Ukraine had agreed to keep details of the transfer confidential because publicly revealing sensitive information could create diplomatic and security complications and potentially affect the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
The two North Korean soldiers were captured by Ukrainian forces in January 2025 while fighting alongside Russian forces in the Kursk region. They had reportedly expressed a desire to travel to South Korea rather than return to North Korea.
South Korean authorities had previously refrained from confirming operational details concerning the transfer, including its timing and route, citing concerns over the safety of the former prisoners and their families.
Ukraine’s presidential office said the transfer was carried out through direct discussions with Seoul. Kyiv has maintained that the disclosure involved the fact of the transfer rather than operational details, while South Korea has emphasized the confidentiality arrangement.
The dispute comes amid continuing international attention to North Korean military involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine and the broader security situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula.
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