South Korea has demanded an official apology and explanation from Ukraine after accusing kyiv of revealing the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul. Seong Ghi-hong, presidential public relations secretary, said in a statement Sunday that the president’s office expressed “great regret over Ukraine’s unilateral disclosure and its subsequent false announcement that there had been no confidentiality agreement.” Canales and had requested secrecy. However, kyiv has said there was no secrecy agreement. Here’s what we know: What happened? Speaking at the annual United Nations General Assembly last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said kyiv had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea after they were caught fighting for Russia in the Kursk region. Ukraine seized much of the Russian border region in August 2024, but has since lost most of the territory. “It is not easy to capture these guys alive. One of them, when he realized that he was going to be taken prisoner, tried to commit suicide and was surprised to see that fate would not let him die,” Zelenskyy said in his speech. He also condemned North Korea’s deployment of troops to support Moscow, saying: “This is also crazy. Why should Koreans give their lives in a war against Ukraine? [North Korean leader] Kim Jong Un uses them as currency and gets something in return.” Zelenskyy said at the time that he would hand over the captured soldiers to Kim if he could facilitate their exchange for Ukrainians held captive in Russia. However, human rights groups had urged him to send them to South Korea, citing the possible risks of punishment the soldiers faced. South Korean media also reported that the two captured soldiers had wanted to defect to Seoul. Ukraine captured the two North Koreans in January 2025. They became the first North Korean soldiers to be captured alive since Pyongyang began assisting Moscow’s war efforts against Ukraine in 2024. North Korea has deployed thousands of soldiers to support Russia’s war against Ukraine as part of a mutual defense treaty. North. But Zelenskyy’s decision to announce the transfer surprised the South Korean government. In a post on X, President Lee Jae Myung said the issue of repatriating North Korean prisoners of war was a “very sensitive agenda.” of our government to keep it confidential but even wonder if there is anything wrong with it,” Lee wrote. “I don’t know the reasons behind the Ukraine disclosure. It is a violation of the confidentiality agreement, but it is deeply regrettable,” he added. Technically, South Korea is still at war with North Korea because the two opponents in the 1950-1953 Korean War signed an armistice in 1953 and not a peace treaty. Thousands of American troops are stationed in South Korea, and the two allies regularly hold military exercises, which the North has denounced. According to Seong’s statement on Sunday, Zelenskyy revealed the repatriation without sufficient prior consultation and then denied that any confidentiality agreement existed. He added that the denial had seriously damaged trust between the two governments and could damage their relations. At the same time, opposition politicians have condemned the Lee government for failing to disclose the transfer. Last week, opposition politician Ahn Cheol-soo of the People Power Party asked on social media whether it was “fair” for the Korean public to learn about North Korean prisoners of war in the country from Zelenskyy. “President Lee, why did you do it? Are you hiding it? Does North Korea have something that, if revealed, would end your political career? Or were you planning to send prisoners of war back to North Korea? Ahn asked: How many North Korean soldiers are fighting in Ukraine? According to Ukrainian and South Korean estimates, between 14,000 and 15,000 North Korean soldiers were sent to support Russia’s war efforts, and most of them were deployed in the Russian Kursk region to defend against a Ukrainian incursion. As a close ally of Russia, Pyongyang has also supplied Moscow with weapons, including artillery and mortar shells, ballistic missiles, long-range artillery systems and multiple launch rocket systems, according to Ukrainian and independent assessments. What happens to the soldiers now? The soldiers are expected to be questioned and undergo security checks before South Korean authorities decide whether to grant them protection and begin the. resettlement. On Monday, Seoul’s Unification Ministry said it would review their cases based on relevant laws and past practices, including the North Korean Defector Protection and Settlement Support Act. The ministry’s goal is to unify the two Koreas, which were divided shortly before the 1950-1953 Civil War. Pyongyang opposes reunification. Yu Yong-weon, an opposition lawmaker who met with the soldiers in Ukraine in February 2025, said they served in North Korea’s special forces and could provide information about Pyongyang’s training, military capabilities and involvement in the war.
