{"id":37977,"date":"2026-09-29T06:33:57","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T03:33:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/?p=37977"},"modified":"2026-09-29T06:33:59","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T03:33:59","slug":"south-korea-demands-apology-from-ukraine-after-zelenskyy-reveals-secret-north-korean-pow-transfer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/south-korea-demands-apology-from-ukraine-after-zelenskyy-reveals-secret-north-korean-pow-transfer\/","title":{"rendered":"South Korea demands apology from Ukraine after Zelenskyy reveals secret North Korean POW transfer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

5 minute read<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

South Korea has demanded an official apology and explanation from Ukraine after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly revealed secret information on the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The South Korean presidential office said Ukraine had disclosed the transfer without sufficient consultation and later denied that the two countries had agreed to keep the matter confidential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seong Ghi-hong, senior presidential secretary for public relations, said that Seoul expressed \u201cstrong regret\u201d over Ukraine’s actions and that the disclosure had damaged trust between the two governments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The South Korean Foreign Ministry summoned Ukrainian Ambassador Andrii Vieshkin in Seoul on September 28, 2026, to formally protest what it described as Kyiv’s \u201cunilateral disclosure\u201d of the transfer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vieshkin said he would convey Seoul’s position to the Ukrainian government, according to the ministry. Ukraine’s embassy in Seoul did not immediately respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Dispute Over Confidentiality Agreement<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said in an address to the United Nations General Assembly last week that Ukraine had recently transferred two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two men were captured by Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region in January 2025 while fighting alongside Russian forces. They were among North Korean personnel deployed to support Russia in the war against Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung had previously said Ukraine and South Korea agreed not to disclose the transfer because of concerns about the safety of the prisoners and their families in North Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Ukrainian<\/a>
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meeting with President of the Republic of Korea Lee Jae Myung, in Ankara, Turkiye, on July 8, 2026. (Image Credit: The Presidential Office of Ukraine)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Seong said Ukraine had discussed the transfer with Seoul through several channels and had requested that the matter remain confidential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Seoul, Ukraine was concerned that publicly transferring the prisoners to South Korea could trigger criticism at home because Kyiv might otherwise have had an opportunity to exchange them for Ukrainian soldiers held by Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seong said Ukraine’s subsequent denial that a nondisclosure agreement existed was particularly damaging to relations. \u201cThe presidential office expresses strong regret over Ukraine’s unilateral disclosure and its subsequent false announcement that there had not been a non-disclosure agreement,\u201d Seong said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the government was reviewing whether additional measures were necessary. Ukraine has rejected Seoul’s claim that there was such an agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Soldiers Wanted to Go to South Korea<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two North Korean soldiers had previously said in interviews that they wanted to resettle in South Korea. Seoul had urged Ukraine not to return them to North Korea, where they could face punishment or persecution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under South Korean law and policy, North Korean defectors are accepted as South Korean citizens and can receive government assistance after arriving in the South.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 34,000 North Koreans have resettled in South Korea since the 1950-53 Korean War. Most have been civilians, while defections by North Korean soldiers are relatively rare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zelenskyy said in his U.N. speech that one of the captured soldiers had attempted to take his own life after realizing he was about to be captured.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"North<\/a>
North Korean soldiers ahead of the launch of ballistic missiles on March 10, 2023. (Image Credit: KCNA)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The two soldiers were among the first North Korean troops captured alive after Pyongyang began supporting Russia’s war effort. Ukraine had previously released images of the men after their capture in January 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

South Korea had avoided publicly confirming their arrival, citing concerns over their security and the safety of relatives who remain in North Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


North Korean Troops in Russia<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

North Korea’s military involvement in the Ukraine war has become an increasingly important security issue for South Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pyongyang and Moscow confirmed in April 2025 that North Korean troops had fought alongside Russian forces in Russia’s Kursk region against Ukrainian forces. South Korea, the U.S. and other countries have also said North Korea has supplied Russia with artillery shells, ammunition and missiles in exchange for economic and military assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

South Korea’s intelligence service estimated last year that North Korea had sent about 15,000 troops to Russia and that around 2,000 had been killed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The deployment has also strengthened military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang. North Korea has gained access to greater military cooperation with Russia while continuing to develop its nuclear and missile programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The growing relationship between North Korea and Russia has also become a concern for South Korea because of its potential impact on security on the Korean Peninsula.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"North<\/a>
North Korean soldiers conducting military drills at operation training base in the western area of the Korean People’s Army on March 6, 2024. (Image Credit: KCNA)<\/sup><\/em>

<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Seoul Avoids Military Support for Ukraine<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

South Korea has provided humanitarian assistance and other support to Ukraine and has joined U.S.-led economic sanctions against Russia since the beginning of the war in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Seoul has resisted calls from Ukraine and NATO to provide direct military assistance. South Korea has maintained a longstanding policy of not supplying weapons to countries actively involved in armed conflicts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The issue has become more sensitive as North Korea has expanded its military support for Russia. The transfer of the two North Korean prisoners therefore involves both humanitarian and diplomatic concerns for Seoul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The South Korean government has been seeking to manage the issue carefully because public disclosure could affect relations with Pyongyang and complicate efforts to reopen dialogue with North Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The controversy also comes as the U.S. administration has shown renewed interest in engaging with Pyongyang. President Donald Trump recently reduced the scale of a military exercise with South Korea in what was seen as an effort to create conditions for renewed diplomacy, although North Korea has indicated that the move was not sufficient to bring it back to talks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

South Korea has demanded an official apology and explanation from Ukraine after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly revealed secret information on the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37980,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[124,62,1],"tags":[137,380,75,5,96,706,20,95,22,751],"class_list":["post-37977","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia-pacific","category-europe","category-news","tag-asia","tag-asia-pacific","tag-conflict","tag-military","tag-north-korea","tag-pow","tag-russia","tag-south-korea","tag-ukraine","tag-zelenskyy"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7jJWb-9Sx","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Ukraine-Zelenskyy-South-Korea-Lee.jpg?fit=690%2C370&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37977","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37977"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37977\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37988,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37977\/revisions\/37988"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37977"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37977"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37977"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}