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

South Korea claims to possess written evidence confirming that Seoul and Kyiv reached an agreement to keep the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) under wraps. President Lee Jae Myung cautioned on Friday that the nation would consider further action should Ukraine refrain from apologizing for divulging the sensitive information.

These comments are anticipated to exacerbate the existing diplomatic rift between the two countries following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's announcement of the POW transfer during his address to the United Nations General Assembly on September 23. Kyiv has vehemently denied the existence of any confidentiality pact, while Seoul maintains that such an agreement was unequivocally in place, and that Ukraine violated it.

A high-ranking foreign ministry official elaborated on Seoul's perspective of the events in an interview with reporters. It is evident that the two nations had reached a consensus to maintain the secrecy surrounding the transfer, the official informed. The Ukrainian side had informed the South Korean side of Zelenskyy's intention to deliver a speech at the U.N.

General Assembly, without explicitly disclosing the content of his address. Seoul subsequently responded via text message, expressing its desire for Zelenskyy not to breach the agreement reached between the two nations regarding the confidentiality of the POW transfer.