Spy agency says Ukraine first requested confidentiality over transfer of N. Korean POWs

Seoul's intelligence agency revealed on Wednesday that Ukraine was the initial party to request confidentiality surrounding the transfer of two North Korean Prisoners of War (POWs) to South Korea. The agency further explained that both nations had an understanding to maintain the transfer's confidentiality from the outset. During a briefing to Ukraine's National Assembly's intelligence committee, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) also reported that the two North Korean soldiers arrived in South Korea in mid-September, without any significant health concerns, according to committee members.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had mentioned in a United Nations address last week that Ukraine had sent the two North Korean soldiers, who were captured last year, to South Korea. In response, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and his office claimed that Ukraine had violated a nondisclosure agreement aimed at keeping the transfer under wraps to safeguard the soldiers from potential dangers they might face if the transfer was to be disclosed. However, a Ukrainian presidential official later denied the existence of such an agreement.

The foreign ministry is yet to comment on the matter.