South Korean President Lee Jae Myung demanded an apology from Ukraine on Friday, warning of additional measures after Kyiv publicly revealed the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war in violation of a secret bilateral agreement.
President Lee Jae Myung Warns Kyiv Over Disclosed Transfer
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung warned Friday that Seoul will take additional measures
should Ukraine continue to refuse an official apology over a disputed confidentiality pact. The diplomatic dispute erupted after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed during an address at the United Nations General Assembly in New York that Kyiv had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to Seoul.
The soldiers were captured early last year in Russia’s Kursk region after being deployed alongside thousands of North Korean troops to support Moscow’s war effort. South Korea maintains that both governments had established a clear understanding to keep the transfer confidential to protect the soldiers and their families from retaliation by Pyongyang. In a post on X, Lee stated that Kyiv unilaterally revealed the arrangement and made him look like a “liar” by denying the existence of the non-disclosure agreement.
Lee Jae Myung, President of South Korea
“This is a matter concerning the honor of the Republic of Korea’s people and nation, we cannot overlook it,” Lee said.
President Lee Jae Myung addressed the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States, on September 22, 2026, bringing together leaders and senior representatives of UN member states. During the diplomatic friction, the South Korean president emphasized that the honor of the nation was at stake. Ukrainian presidential chief of staff Kyrylo Budanov stated in an interview that North Korea’s participation in the Ukraine-Russia conflict served to prepare its troops for combat on the Korean Peninsula.
National Intelligence Service Details the Secret Transfer
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service briefed lawmakers at a closed-door session of the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee, explaining that the agency confirmed the two soldiers came to South Korea of their own free will following their capture on January 9, 2025. According to the intelligence briefing, Ukraine had initially requested strict secrecy out of concern that public disclosure would negatively impact its own prisoner exchange negotiations with Russia.
The agency assessed that Zelenskyy likely publicized the arrangement to generate domestic public opinion in South Korea favoring the supply of weapons and other aid.
Diplomatic Fallout Strains Bilateral Ties
The foreign ministry in Seoul summoned Andrii Vieshkin, acting ambassador of Ukraine to South Korea, to convey a stern stance regarding the disclosure. First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo expressed strong concern that Ukraine’s denial of the confidentiality agreement gravely damages mutual trust and bilateral ties. Cheong Wa Dae, the South Korean presidential office, similarly voiced strong regret over the incident, with senior presidential secretary Seong Ghi-hong stating that Ukraine had repeatedly discussed the transfer through various channels before making the unilateral announcement.
Ukrainian officials have attempted to defuse the mounting tensions. In response to a statement by Oksana Torop—media adviser to Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK—Dmytro Lytvyn, a communications adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, challenged the existence of any confidentiality pact, asserting that Kyiv functions transparently and that covert prisoner handovers would be highly unusual.
President Lee expressed frustration over Kyiv’s reaction when pressed for an apology. When we demanded acknowledgement of the agreement and an apology, they instead spoke of an imminent military clash between North and South, praying for the outbreak of war on the Korean Peninsula—we express grave regret toward Ukraine,
Lee said. Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University, noted that Seoul’s approach could prove problematic in domestic politics given the current administration’s dovish approach to nuclear-armed North Korea. Meanwhile, reports showed that a forged military identification card found on a detained North Korean soldier within Kursk Oblast had been registered under the identity of an actual resident from the Russian Republic of Tyva.
