Records prove secrecy premise in POW row despite no signed deal, Seoul says

South Korea and Ukraine are locked in disagreement over the extent of a non-disclosure agreement concerning the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs). The root of the dispute lies in a subtle but significant difference: Seoul maintains that a consensus on confidentiality was reached from the outset of negotiations, whereas Kyiv denies any official document confirming an agreement exists.

South Korean officials have acknowledged the absence of a formal non-disclosure agreement, but they assert that both parties had operated under the assumption that the entire negotiation would remain confidential. As per a senior foreign ministry official, there is no signed nondisclosure agreement between the two sides, stating that South Korea and Ukraine have been communicating based on the shared understanding that the entire negotiation would be subject to a binding nondisclosure agreement.

The official further commented that President Lee Jae Myung's statements regarding the matter "have some grounds" and that the Cheong Wa Dae and the foreign ministry have internal documents regarding the meetings, which they cannot disclose.