Seoul says written proof of POW secrecy deal exists as Lee urges Ukraine to apologize

South Korea has obtained written documents confirming that Seoul and Kyiv reached an agreement to keep the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) a secret, according to a senior foreign ministry official. President Lee Jae Myung cautioned on Friday that Seoul may take further actions should Ukraine fail to apologize for disclosing the transfer.

This announcement follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's disclosure of the transfer during his address to the United Nations General Assembly on September 23. Kyiv has denied the existence of any confidential agreement, while Seoul maintains that such an accord indeed existed and that Ukraine violated it. The official provided a detailed account of the situation, stating that the two nations had agreed to maintain the secrecy of the transfer.

The Ukrainian delegation informed the South Korean side of Zelenskyy's planned speech at the U.N. General Assembly, though they did not specify the contents beforehand. In response, Seoul communicated via text message, expressing their desire for Zelenskyy not to breach the previously established agreement regarding the secrecy of the POW transfer.