SEOUL —South Korea has demanded an official explanation and apology from Ukraine for denying an agreement to keep the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul confidential.The incident came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the United Nations that his country had sent two North Korean soldiers to the South, adding they were “not easy to capture alive”.Hours later, South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung said on X, “I do not know why the Ukrainian side broke the agreement and made the matter public, but it is very disappointing.”“The presidential office expresses strong regret over Ukraine’s unilateral disclosure and its subsequent false announcement that there had not been a non-disclosure agreement,” Seong Ghi-hong, senior presidential secretary for public relations, said in a statement released on Sunday.He said the government was reviewing additional measures over the issue if necessary.As a response to this, Zelensky’s aide Dmytro Lytvyn told reporters that Ukraine was “an open country” and that it would have been strange to hand over the soldiers in secret.”From the entire story, which is long and detailed, we reported only the fact itself, that they were sent to the Republic of Korea,” he said.Seong said Ukraine had repeatedly discussed the prisoners’ transfer with Seoul through various channels and had requested secrecy, arguing that public disclosure could trigger domestic criticism that Kyiv had given up an opportunity to exchange the soldiers for Ukrainian prisoners.South Korea agreed to keep the transfer confidential given security, diplomatic and humanitarian concerns, including the safety of the prisoners and their families, he said.According to the statement, Ukraine later disclosed the transfer in Zelensky’s address to the United Nations General Assembly without sufficient prior consultation and subsequently denied the existence of any confidentiality agreement.Seong said the denial had seriously damaged trust between the two governments and could harm bilateral relations.Zelensky told the United Nations General Assembly last week that Ukraine had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea. He said the men had recently been sent there after being captured while fighting for Russia in the war against Ukraine.South Korean President Lee days earlier said Ukraine had disclosed the transfer in breach of a non-disclosure agreement.In a post on X, Lee said “it was appropriate in every aspect not to disclose” the transfer, given the potential consequences, and that the two sides had agreed to keep it confidential.“I do not know what circumstances led the Ukrainian side to disclose the matter despite the confidentiality agreement, but it is deeply regrettable,” he wrote.Ukraine captured the two North Koreans in Russia’s Kursk region in January 2025. They were the first North Korean soldiers to be captured alive since Pyongyang entered the war in 2024, assisting Russia.South Korea had previously declined to confirm the soldiers’ arrival, citing concerns for their safety and that of family members still in North Korea.Seoul and Kyiv had been discussing a possible transfer after the two soldiers expressed a desire to go to South Korea, according to an opposition lawmaker in Seoul.The transfer comes as South Korea has backed efforts to revive dialogue with North Korea, while US President Donald Trump has renewed his willingness to engage with Pyongyang.
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