Seoul Summons Ukrainian Envoy, Demands Apology Over Disclosure of North Korean POW Transfer

South Korea summoned Ukraine’s acting ambassador on Monday to protest Kyiv’s public disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to the South, demanding an official explanation and apology for what Seoul called a breach of a confidentiality agreement.

First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo called in Andrii Vieshkin, Ukraine’s charge d’affaires in Seoul, to the Foreign Ministry and conveyed the government’s “grave position” on the controversy, according to the ministry.

Park expressed “deep regret” that Ukraine had disclosed the soldiers’ transfer during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s address to the United Nations General Assembly without sufficient prior explanation or detailed consultations with Seoul, despite what the South Korean government described as a “clear agreement” between the two countries to keep the matter confidential.

The vice minister also protested a subsequent statement from the Ukrainian presidential office denying that such a confidentiality agreement existed, characterizing the denial as false.

“First Vice Minister Park Yoon-joo stressed that the disclosure of a falsehood that there was no confidential agreement seriously undermines trust between the two governments and is an action that can cause problems for friendly ties,” the ministry said in a statement.

Park demanded an official explanation and apology from the Ukrainian government for both the disclosure and its subsequent denial of a confidentiality agreement, while urging Kyiv to take steps to prevent a recurrence.

Vieshkin listened closely to Seoul’s position and said he would accurately report it to his government, the ministry said.

The diplomatic protest marks the latest escalation in an unusual public dispute between Seoul and Kyiv over the handling of the two North Korean soldiers, who were captured by Ukraine in Russia’s Kursk region in early 2025 after being deployed to support Russian forces.

Zelenskyy first publicly revealed the transfer during his UN General Assembly address in New York on Wednesday. South Korean authorities initially declined to confirm details of their arrival, citing concerns about the safety of the soldiers and their families in North Korea.

President Lee Jae Myung subsequently expressed disappointment over Zelenskyy’s disclosure, saying the two countries had agreed not to make the transfer public because of the diplomatic, security and humanitarian sensitivities involved.

“It was appropriate in every aspect not to disclose, considering the many problems it may cause when disclosed, and we had agreed to do so,” Lee wrote on X, adding that Ukraine had revealed the transfer in breach of the agreement.

The Ukrainian side, however, later disputed Seoul’s account. A source in the Ukrainian presidential office reportedly said the two governments had not agreed to keep the transfer secret.

Cheong Wa Dae sharpened its criticism Sunday, insisting that Ukraine had itself initially sought confidentiality during consultations with Seoul.

Senior presidential secretary for public relations Seong Ghi-hong said Kyiv had told Seoul that disclosure could trigger criticism in Ukraine that the government had given up an opportunity to exchange the North Korean soldiers for Ukrainian POWs held by Russia.

Seoul agreed to keep the transfer confidential after considering the safety of the soldiers and their families as well as diplomatic and security concerns, according to Seong.

Cheong Wa Dae accused Ukraine of subsequently disclosing the transfer without sufficient prior consultation and then falsely denying the confidentiality agreement.

It demanded an official explanation and apology and said Seoul was considering additional measures.

The two North Korean soldiers are the first known North Korean troops captured in the Russia-Ukraine war to have been transferred to South Korea after expressing a wish to settle there.

While still in Ukraine, they said in media interviews that they wanted to resettle in South Korea.

South Korea legally regards the North as part of its territory and has a policy of accepting and financially supporting North Korean defectors.

More than 34,000 North Koreans have fled to South Korea since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, mostly female civilians. Defections by soldiers are uncommon.

Some experts say Zelenskyy likely decided to expose the danger of North Korean involvement in the war as a way to attract bigger Western assistance.

Meanwhile, South Korea’s liberal government worried that news of the transfer could trigger an angry response from the North and hurt efforts to resume diplomacy between Pyongyang and Washington.

South Korea has provided humanitarian aid and other support to Ukraine while joining U.S.-led economic sanctions against Russia since its invasion in 2022.

However, Seoul has resisted calls by Kyiv and NATO to provide direct military support to Ukraine in line with a long-standing policy of not supplying weapons to countries actively engaged in conflict.

North Korea and Russia confirmed in April 2025 that their soldiers fought together to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk border region.

South Korea, the United States and others say North Korea has also supplied artillery, ammunition and missiles to Russia in return for economic and military assistance.

South Korea’s intelligence service estimated last year that North Korea sent about 15,000 troops and 2,000 of them were killed.