South Korea Voices Strong Regret Over Ukraine’s Denial of POW Confidentiality Pact

South Korea’s presidential office expressed strong regret Sunday over Ukraine’s denial that the two countries had agreed to keep confidential the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea. Seoul said Kyiv’s actions had harmed trust between the countries and indicated that it could consider additional measures if necessary.

Seong Ghi-hong, senior presidential secretary for public relations, said Ukraine had both disclosed the transfer unilaterally and later falsely denied the existence of a nondisclosure agreement. The presidential office argued that the denial seriously undermined bilateral trust and disrupted friendly relations between Seoul and Kyiv.

The dispute followed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s disclosure during an address to the United Nations last week that Ukraine had sent the two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea. The soldiers had been captured last year while serving alongside Russian forces.

President Lee Jae Myung and his office subsequently said the two governments had agreed not to make the transfer public. South Korean officials have framed the confidentiality arrangement as a safeguard for the soldiers and their families, as well as a measure reflecting broader diplomatic and security concerns. They have also cited international law and humanitarian principles in explaining Seoul’s handling of the case.

Ukrainian media later reported that a source in the Ukrainian presidential office denied that any confidentiality agreement existed. Seoul rejected that account. According to the South Korean presidential office, Ukraine itself had requested secrecy because it was concerned about potential domestic criticism that transferring the North Koreans could remove an opportunity to exchange them for Ukrainian prisoners of war.

Seong said South Korea accepted the request in consideration of the safety of the two soldiers and their relatives, along with the diplomatic and security implications of the transfer. He maintained that Zelenskyy disclosed the move without prior explanation or consultation despite the alleged mutual understanding.

The presidential office also criticized people in South Korea who it said were politicizing the sensitive security issue in Ukraine’s favor. Seong argued that spreading unfounded claims about the dispute could damage the national interest and called for such claims to stop.

The public disagreement adds strain to relations between South Korea and Ukraine at a time when both governments are managing the consequences of North Korea’s military involvement in Russia’s war. Seoul has not detailed what additional steps it may take, leaving the immediate diplomatic response unresolved.