Ukraine, South Korea clash over transfer of 2 North Korean prisoners

Ukraine and South Korea have been at odds over the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war. On September 23, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine had sent the prisoners to South Korea, after they had expressed a desire to resettle there following their capture by Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk region in January 2025.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called the transfer a sensitive issue, emphasizing the potential impacts on diplomacy and national security on the Korean Peninsula. Ukraine's spokesperson, Dmytro Lytvyn, denied any confidentiality agreement between the two countries, insisting that the transfer should have been made public.

South Korean officials called Lytvyn's claims false, stating that Ukraine had requested confidentiality for diplomatic and protective reasons. Experts suggest that the lack of trust between the two nations has contributed to the diplomatic crisis, with South Korean media highlighting the constitutional status of North Koreans as South Korean citizens.