South Korea demands official explanation from Ukraine over North Korean POW disclosure
According to administration officials, Ukraine's continued denial of such an agreement proved false and damaged trust between the two governments.
Background
As previously reported, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung accused Ukraine of violating a non-disclosure agreement after President Volodymyr Zelenskyi spoke at the UN General Assembly.
Zelenskyi noted that Ukraine had recently transferred two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea.
The head of state emphasized that Russia overall deploys citizens from 47 countries in its war against Ukraine.
However, according to the South Korean president, the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war remains an exceptionally sensitive issue with grave implications for diplomacy, national security, and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
Reports regarding the two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukraine first surfaced in January 2025. Ukrainian troops captured two North Korean soldiers fighting on Russia's side in the Kursk region. Despite their injuries, troops transported the prisoners to Kyiv.
Later, South Korean intelligence confirmed that two North Korean soldiers had fallen into Ukrainian captivity, citing statements from one soldier during interrogation. According to intelligence data, one of the captured soldiers reported "significant" losses among North Korean military personnel in Russia during questioning.
At the time, Ukraine stated it would not return the prisoners to Russia or North Korea.
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29 of September 2026
