South Korea Threatens Ukraine Over North Korean POW Disclosure
President Lee Jae Myung threatened punitive measures against Ukraine after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly disclosed the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has threatened punitive and additional measures against Ukraine following a dispute over the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war. The conflict began after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the transfer during a September 23 address to the UN General Assembly. The soldiers had been captured in Russia's Kursk region in early 2025 after being deployed by North Korea to support Russia's war.
President Lee claims the disclosure violated a secret confidentiality agreement and asserted that Ukraine initially requested secrecy to avoid domestic criticism for not exchanging the prisoners for captured Ukrainians. He characterized the breach as a matter of national dignity and accused Ukraine of encouraging war on the Korean Peninsula by suggesting an imminent military clash between the two Koreas.
Ukraine has denied the existence of any such agreement. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the situation as a diplomatic misunderstanding and expressed a desire for a short-term resolution. Despite these efforts, the South Korean government summoned Ukraine's acting ambassador on September 28. While South Korea has provided humanitarian and financial aid to Ukraine since 2022, analysts suggest any retaliatory measures would likely target this assistance, though drastic action remains unlikely due to the strategic value of intelligence on Russian-North Korean military cooperation.
