South Korea demands an apology from Ukraine for disclosing the secret transfer of two North Korean prisoners

South Korea’s presidential office demanded that Ukraine apologize for disclosing the transfer of two North Korean prisoners to Seoul. In a statement quoted by Reuters, the office also accused Ukraine of falsely claiming that “there had not been a non-disclosure agreement.”

According to South Korea’s presidential office, Kyiv had repeatedly discussed the transfer of captured North Korean soldiers with Seoul and asked it to keep the matter secret.

Seong Ghi-hong, South Korea’s senior presidential secretary for public relations, said Kyiv had insisted on secrecy, arguing that the transfer could provoke a backlash in Ukraine because the prisoners had not been exchanged for Ukrainian service members.

South Korea agreed to keep the transfer secret, he said, citing “diplomatic and humanitarian considerations, including the safety of the prisoners themselves and their families.”

But on September 23, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the U.N. General Assembly that Ukraine had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea. His adviser Dmytro Lytvyn said there had been no agreement to keep the transfer secret and that “it would be wrong to hide where particular prisoners end up.”

South Korea’s presidential office said the episode had seriously damaged trust between the two countries and could harm bilateral relations. At the time of publication, Ukraine’s embassy in Seoul had not commented to Reuters.

North Korean soldiers have fought on Russia’s side in its war against Ukraine since 2024. Russia and North Korea initially denied the soldiers’ involvement, but both governments later officially acknowledged it.

In January 2025, Zelensky posted a video of two purported North Korean soldiers. He said he was willing to hand captured North Korean soldiers over to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un if Kim arranged to exchange them for Ukrainian service members held by Russia.