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

South Korea and Ukraine are in disagreement over the terms of a nondisclosure agreement concerning the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs). The conflict centers on a key distinction: Seoul asserts that a consensus on confidentiality existed from the outset of negotiations, whereas Kyiv maintains that no official document of any agreement exists.

South Korean officials have acknowledged the absence of a formal nondisclosure agreement, but they insist that both parties had operated under the premise of a shared understanding that the entire negotiation would remain confidential. A senior foreign ministry official disclosed to The Korea Times that despite the lack of an official signed document, Seoul and Kyiv had been communicating based on the understanding that the negotiations would be subject to a binding nondisclosure agreement.

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