South Korea has demanded an official explanation and apology from Ukraine following Kyiv’s public disclosure of the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea. The revelation has raised concerns over national security, inter-Korean relations, and the safety of the soldiers and their families, according to South Korean officials.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung criticized the disclosure, asserting that both nations had agreed to keep the details of the repatriation confidential. The Korean government expressed further disappointment over Ukraine’s denial of any confidentiality agreement, stating that it has damaged trust between the two countries.
Ukraine, however, has contested South Korea’s interpretation of the arrangement. A Ukrainian presidential official indicated that South Korea had been informed in advance that President Volodymyr Zelensky might mention the soldiers during his address at the UN General Assembly. According to Kyiv, the disclosure was limited to the fact that the two soldiers had been transferred to South Korea, without specifying the timing or circumstances.
While South Korean officials acknowledged prior notification about the potential mention of the soldiers, they insisted that they had requested the soldiers’ destination remain undisclosed. The disagreement between the two governments centers on what specific information was meant to remain confidential, with South Korea maintaining that the transfer itself was included in the confidentiality agreement and Ukraine arguing otherwise.
The two North Korean soldiers were captured by Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region in January 2025. They had been deployed alongside North Korean troops supporting Russia and later expressed a preference to travel to South Korea rather than return to North Korea.