…Demands apology from Ukraine over North Korean POW disclosure
South Korea has summoned Ukraine’s acting ambassador, Andrii Vieshkin, over Kyiv’s disclosure that two captured North Korean soldiers had been transferred to Seoul.
The South Korean Foreign Ministry said on Monday that Vieshkin was summoned following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s disclosure at the United Nations General Assembly that the soldiers had been transferred to South Korea.
Seoul said the disclosure breached an understanding between the two countries that the transfer would remain confidential and demanded an official explanation and apology from Kyiv.
According to the ministry, First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo told Vieshkin that the disclosure had damaged trust between the two governments.
“First Vice Minister Park Yoon-joo stressed that the disclosure of a falsehood that there was no confidential agreement seriously undermines trust between the two governments and is an action that can cause problems for friendly ties,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry also protested what it described as a false statement by the Ukrainian presidential office denying that a confidentiality agreement existed.
Seoul urged Kyiv to take measures to prevent a similar incident from occurring again, while Vieshkin reportedly said he had listened carefully to the South Korean government’s position and would convey it to Kyiv.
The dispute followed Zelenskiy’s address to the UN General Assembly last week, where he disclosed that Ukraine had transferred two North Korean soldiers captured while fighting alongside Russian forces in the war against Ukraine to South Korea.
South Korea’s presidential office had on Sunday also demanded an official explanation and apology from Ukraine over the disclosure.
The soldiers are part of a wider issue involving North Korea’s military support for Russia. Kyiv and its Western allies have accused Pyongyang of deploying troops and providing military assistance to Moscow for the war in Ukraine, while North Korea and Russia have strengthened their military cooperation.
The transfer of the captured soldiers to South Korea also comes amid Seoul’s efforts to revive dialogue with Pyongyang and renewed expressions of willingness by United States President Donald Trump to engage with the North Korean leadership.
The Ukrainian government was not immediately available for further comment on the South Korean protest.