Ukraine Faces Seoul’s Demand for Apology After Exposing Transfer of North Korean POWs

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has demanded an official apology from Ukraine following the Ukrainian president’s revelation of what Seoul asserts was a covert transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed at the United Nations General Assembly last week that Kyiv had recently transferred the captives to South Korea after seizing them on the Ukraine-Russia frontline in early 2025. These two soldiers are part of thousands of North Korean troops deployed to aid Russia’s military campaign against Ukraine.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung swiftly condemned Ukraine for allegedly breaching a confidentiality agreement concerning the transfer, though Kyiv denied the existence of such an arrangement.

Seong Ghi-hong, a senior presidential adviser for public relations, voiced “strong regret” on Sunday regarding Ukraine’s actions, demanding a formal apology and clarification.

In a statement, Seong characterized Ukraine’s denial of the nondisclosure agreement as a “false” claim that “seriously undermines trust between the two governments and causes significant damage to bilateral relations.”

According to Seong, both nations had previously agreed to the transfer terms due to Seoul’s concerns over the welfare of the North Korean soldiers and their families back home, alongside unspecified diplomatic and security matters. Conversely, Kyiv was apprehensive about facing domestic criticism for missing the chance to trade them for Ukrainian servicemen detained in Russia.

Attempts to reach the Ukrainian Embassy in Seoul went unanswered on Monday.

Prior to their departure, the two soldiers expressed in media interviews their desire to resettle in South Korea.

South Korea had urged Ukraine against returning the men to North Korea, where they would likely face persecution. The South legally considers the North part of its territory and maintains a policy of accepting and financially assisting North Korean defectors.

Since the conclusion of the 1950-53 Korean War, over 34,000 North Koreans have sought refuge in South Korea, predominantly within the last three decades. The majority were female civilians hailing from the impoverished northern provinces of the North, as military defections remain rare.

During his address at the U.N., Zelenskyy withheld specifics about the transfer but quoted one of the soldiers, stating: “When he realized he was going to be captured, he tried to take his own life and was shocked that fate did not let him die. This is how they raise people in the North.”

Experts suggest Zelenskyy likely chose to expose the peril of North Korean involvement in the conflict to garner increased Western support. Concurrently, South Korea’s liberal government feared that publicizing the transfer might provoke an angry response from North Korea and jeopardize diplomatic efforts between Pyongyang and Washington.

South Korea, a burgeoning arms exporter possessing a well-equipped, U.S.-backed military, has furnished humanitarian aid and various forms of support to Ukraine while adhering to U.S.-led economic sanctions against Russia since the conflict commenced in 2022.

However, Seoul has resisted pressure from Kyiv and NATO to deliver direct military aid, adhering to a longstanding policy of refraining from supplying arms to nations actively engaged in armed conflict.

North Korea and Russia confirmed in April 2025 that their forces collaborated to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk border region. South Korea, the United States, and other nations assert that North Korea has also furnished Russia with artillery, ammunition, and missiles in exchange for economic and military aid. South Korea’s intelligence service estimated last year that North Korea deployed approximately 15,000 troops, with around 2,000 killed.

Deepening cooperation with Russia has enabled North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to resist U.S.-led pressure and more aggressively advance his nuclear weapons program. Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump scaled back a joint military exercise with South Korea in an apparent effort to restart diplomacy with Kim, though North Korea suggested the gesture was insufficient to bring them back to the negotiating table.

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