Lee's growing social media use leads to another diplomatic dispute

President Lee Jae Myung continues to face diplomatic tensions on social media, this time with Ukraine, following a similar conflict with Israel in April. The South Korean leader has ramped up his online presence on X (formerly Twitter) to tackle contentious foreign and domestic matters. On Friday, Lee cautioned Ukraine that South Korea would impose "additional measures" unless Kyiv acknowledged and publicly apologized for allegedly breaching a promise to keep the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war confidential.

The dispute originated when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned in a United Nations General Assembly speech on September 23 that the soldiers had been sent to South Korea. These individuals were actually captured while fighting for Russia and later expressed a desire to settle in the South. Seoul alleged that the disclosure contravened an agreement meant to safeguard the men and their families.

Ukraine denied any such arrangement and characterized the situation as a diplomatic misunderstanding. Initially, Lee expressed disappointment with Zelenskyy's announcement on X, and subsequently escalated his criticism further.