Lee Regrets Ukraine’s Disclosure of North Korean POW Transfer
President Lee Jae Myung said Ukraine breached a confidentiality agreement by revealing that two captured North Korean soldiers had been transferred to South Korea, citing diplomatic, security and personal-safety concerns.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has expressed regret over Ukraine’s public disclosure that two North Korean prisoners of war were transferred to South Korea, saying the announcement breached an agreement to keep the process confidential.
Lee said in a social media post that Seoul and Kyiv had agreed not to disclose the transfer because public confirmation could create serious diplomatic and security complications. He described the matter as highly sensitive for inter-Korean relations and the security environment on the Korean Peninsula.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed the transfer during an address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Ukraine’s presidential office subsequently said the two soldiers had been sent to South Korea through direct discussions between the two governments.
The soldiers were captured by Ukrainian forces in January 2025 after being deployed to Russia’s Kursk region. Thousands of North Korean troops have supported Russia’s war effort against Ukraine. The two captives had reportedly expressed a desire to go to South Korea, prompting Seoul and Kyiv to discuss a possible transfer.
Before the Ukrainian announcement, the South Korean government had declined to confirm that the soldiers had arrived. Seoul cited concerns about their safety and the possible risks to family members still in North Korea. Lee said disclosing the transfer without regard for those consequences would be cruel and irresponsible, and he warned that publicity could affect lives as well as national interests.
Ukraine’s presidential office said it disclosed only the fact of the transfer, not the details of how it was carried out. It argued that keeping the entire transfer secret would have been unusual.
A South Korean presidential official later said Seoul had known that Zelenskyy planned to mention the transfer because Kyiv had provided advance notice. However, the official said the information was vague and did not explain how the transfer would be presented publicly. According to the official, Lee’s criticism focused on Ukraine’s departure from the earlier confidentiality understanding.
The dispute highlights the difficult balance between public accountability and security in cases involving North Korean soldiers captured overseas. It also introduces a sensitive issue into relations between Seoul and Kyiv as the two governments manage the consequences of North Korea’s military support for Russia. Lee said he hoped wars that kill or injure innocent people would end as soon as possible.