Relations between South Korea and Ukraine deteriorated over transfer of North Korean prisoners of war | Russia-Ukraine War

South Korean presidential office criticizes Ukraine for refusing POW nondisclosure agreement.

The South Korean president’s office demanded an official explanation and apology from Ukraine, accusing kyiv of disclosing the transfer of “North Korean POWs (POWs) to South Korea, despite a prior agreement ⁠to keep the matter confidential.”

The presidential office said Sunday that Ukraine’s subsequent denial that any confidentiality agreement was false had damaged trust and caused serious disruption between the two governments.

Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) that his country had transferred two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea.

South Korean media reported that the president’s office expressed “deep regret” for Ukraine’s disregard for the nondisclosure agreement it reached with Seoul regarding the two prisoners of war.

The office said the confidentiality agreement was intended to protect the soldiers from the dangers they might face if their transfer were revealed, in accordance with international law and humanitarian principles.

According to Yonhap, a South Korean media outlet, Ukraine’s presidential office said it had disclosed the POW transfer without providing detailed details about the process, saying it would have been strange to keep the entire transfer secret. Ukrainian media reported that a Ukrainian presidential source denied the existence of a confidentiality agreement with Seoul, Yonhap said.

Seong Ghi-hong, South Korea’s top presidential secretary for public relations, said the government is considering additional measures on the issue, if necessary, Yonhap added.

North Korean POWS

Ukrainian forces captured the two North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk region in January 2025.

Growing evidence, including from intelligence reports and defector testimonies, indicates that North Korean soldiers resorted to self-detonation or other forms of suicide rather than be captured.

In his speech to the UN, Zelensky said: “These guys are not easy to capture alive.” He added: “One of them, when he realized he was going to be taken prisoner, tried to commit suicide. And he was shocked that fate didn’t let him die.”

South Korean media reported that the two captured soldiers expressed their desire to defect to South Korea.

The issue of North Korean prisoners of war was a key topic at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, where Lee met with Zelensky in July.

Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung later said the two leaders agreed to resolve the status of North Korean prisoners of war in accordance with international law. This builds on a prior agreement reached at the foreign ministers’ meeting of South Korea and Ukraine in March, during which the two countries pledged to cooperate on the POW issue.

According to South Korean intelligence, North Korea has deployed around 14,000 to 15,000 troops to support Russia’s efforts in its war against Ukraine since 2024, mainly in the Kursk border region. South Korean, Ukrainian and Western officials said they suffered heavy losses, with more than 6,000 North Korean troops killed in the fighting.

The transfer comes as South Korea supports efforts to restart dialogue with North Korea, while US President Donald Trump has renewed his willingness to engage with Pyongyang.