The South Korean Presidential Administration is demanding an official explanation and an apology from Ukraine following reports that two North Korean prisoners of war had been handed over to Seoul. Seoul maintains that the parties had agreed not to disclose the operation, whilst sources within the Office of the President in Ukraine have denied the existence of such an agreement.
- Seoul is demanding official explanations and an apology from Kyiv.
- This concerns the handover to South Korea of two North Korean soldiers who had been taken prisoner.
- South Korea says the information should have been kept confidential.
- Seoul has spoken out about the damage to trust between the two countries.
Seoul has claimed that the agreement has been breached
The South Korean President’s Office has expressed «deep regret» over the actions of the Ukrainian side and has demanded an official explanation and an apology. Seoul claims that Kyiv unilaterally disclosed information about the handover of two North Korean prisoners of war, even though the parties had allegedly agreed to keep this confidential.
The South Korean authorities were particularly displeased by a report in the Ukrainian media, citing a source in the Office of the President of Ukraine, which denied the existence of a non-disclosure agreement.
Senior Secretary to the President of South Korea for Public Relations Son Gi-hong's Dream stated that such an objection Seoul considers this to be untrue. According to him, the situation is «seriously damaging» trust and relations between the two countries. The South Korean side has also stated that it is considering the possibility of taking further measures.
Why did they want to conceal information about the prisoners of war?
According to the South Korean Presidential Office, the issue of confidentiality was discussed during the lengthy negotiations on the handover of the military personnel.
Seoul claims that it was the Ukrainian side that initially asked for the information not to be made public. One of the reasons cited was the possibility of criticism within Ukraine over the fact that the prisoners of war from DPRK could potentially have been used during negotiations on the exchange of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
South Korea, for its part, justifies the need for secrecy on the grounds of the safety of the military personnel themselves and their families, as well as the diplomatic sensitivity of the issue. Seoul states that Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the handover publicly without prior consultation.
Zelenskyy spoke about the handover of prisoners of war to the UN
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the handover of two North Korean soldiers to South Korea on 23 September during a speech at the UN General Assembly in New York.
This refers to two North Korean soldiers who were taken prisoner by Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region of Russia in January 2025. They were the first North Korean soldiers to be captured alive by Ukraine since North Korean units entered the war on Russia’s side.
Zelenskyy had previously raised the possibility of handing these soldiers over to Pyongyang in exchange for Ukrainians being held by Russia. At the same time, human rights organisations have called for them not to be returned to the DPRK due to the risk of punishment. South Korean media have also reported that the prisoners themselves have expressed a desire to move to South Korea.
Following Zelenskyy’s speech, the President of South Korea Lee Je-myung stated that the disclosure of this information was regrettable, as the issue of the handover of North Korean military personnel has significant implications for diplomacy, national security and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
