South Korea demands apology over Zelenskyy’s North Korean POW disclosure

South Korea has demanded an official explanation and apology from Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of unilaterally disclosing the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly revealed the transfer during his UN General Assembly address, which South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s administration stated violated a mutual nondisclosure agreement.

Seong Ghi-hong, senior presidential secretary for public ​relations, said in a statement released on Sunday, “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.”

Two North Korean soldiers were captured on the Russia-Ukraine battlefield in early 2025 after being deployed to support Moscow and they expressed a desire to resettle in South Korea. Seoul and Kyiv arranged a confidential transfer.’

According to Seong, Ukraine repeatedly contacted Seoul to discuss the prisoners’ transfer through various channels and it also requested to maintain the secrecy of transfer. As Kyiv argued that public disclosure could trigger domestic criticism.

Given Kyiv’s request, South Korea agreed to maintain the confidentiality of transfer based on security, humanitarian and security grounds.

In the wake of unilateral disclosure, Seoul censured that it damaged bilateral trust and risked the safety of the soldiers' families in North Korea alongside regional security.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung days earlier said Ukraine had disclosed the transfer in breach of a non-disclosure agreement.

In a post on X, 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.

However, Ukraine denied making any such deal and the existence of a formal confidentiality agreement regarding the details of the transfer. Regarding official apology, Kyiv has not yet issued any statement.