NEW YORK, UNITED STATES – SEPTEMBER 22: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung addresses the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, which brings together leaders and high representatives of UN member states in New York, United States, on September 22, 2026.
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South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday criticized Ukraine for revealing it transferred North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul, demanding a public apology and threatening “additional measures” against kyiv.
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“As this is a matter concerning the honor of the people and nation of the Republic of Korea, we cannot ignore it,” he said in Korean, translated by Google.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Thursday reportedly called the dispute a “diplomatic misunderstanding” that his country hopes to resolve. Seoul remains an important partner for Kyiv, Sybiha added.
Non-disclosure agreement
At the United Nations General Assembly last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said kyiv had sent two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea.
That prompted South Korea to accuse Ukraine of violating a nondisclosure agreement regarding the transfer and to summon Ukraine’s charge d’affaires for an explanation. Seoul also said after the speech that Ukraine had requested that the transfer remain secret because it could negatively impact prisoner exchanges with Russia.
“When we demanded recognition of the deal and an apology, they instead spoke of an imminent military confrontation between the North and South, praying for the outbreak of war on the Korean Peninsula. We express deep regret to Ukraine,” Lee said Friday.
The comments followed an interview last week with the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, in which he said that North Korea’s participation in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia was intended to prepare for a fight on the Korean peninsula.
“The situation is getting worse every day. And it is only a matter of time before a triggering event occurs that will lead to uncontrolled consequences,” he added, according to a Google translation of his Telegram message in Ukrainian.
Although there was no explanation from kyiv as to why Zelensky made the announcement at the UNGA, South Korea’s national intelligence service reportedly told lawmakers that he may have done so to drum up support from Seoul for sending weapons and other aid to kyiv.
In August, Zelensky asked South Korea to support Ukraine by providing air defense systems, which Seoul did not support even though it offered humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
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