Seoul demands an apology after Zelenskyy unilaterally reveals North Korean prisoners of war transfer

South Korea has demanded an official apology from Ukraine following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's disclosure of a secret transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea. Zelenskyy revealed the transfer during a recent speech at the U.N. General Assembly, stating that the men were captured on the Ukraine-Russia battlefield in early 2025 and subsequently sent to South Korea.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung accused Ukraine of breaching a nondisclosure agreement regarding the transfer, expressing "strong regret" over the situation and demanding an official apology from Ukraine. South Korea's concerns about the safety of the North Korean soldiers and their families, as well as diplomatic and security issues, contributed to the agreement reached between the two countries.

Ukraine, however, denies making such an agreement. The two soldiers reportedly expressed a desire to resettle in South Korea while still in Ukraine, a country that legally regards North Korea as part of its own territory and has a policy of accepting and financially supporting North Korean defectors.