A diplomatic dispute has emerged between South Korea and Ukraine over the handling of two North Korean soldiers who were transferred to Seoul. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed the transfer during remarks at the UN General Assembly last week, prompting an angry response from Seoul, which contended the arrangement was supposed to remain confidential.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has demanded a public apology from Ukraine, warning of unspecified “further action” should the country fail to comply. Lee’s office asserted that Ukraine had initially requested secrecy surrounding the transfer, citing concerns about protecting the soldiers’ families and avoiding criticism that Kyiv had missed an opportunity to use them in prisoner exchanges. Zelensky’s office disputed this account, stating that no such confidentiality agreement existed between the two nations, further intensifying the disagreement.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha characterized the situation as a “diplomatic misunderstanding” and indicated that Kyiv was actively working to resolve the matter. He expressed hope for a swift resolution, emphasizing the importance of the bilateral relationship. Lee rejected this framing, asserting that the issue concerned “the dignity of the Korean people and the nation” and accused Ukraine of attempting to “bring war on the Korean Peninsula” by discussing the possibility of military escalation.
The two soldiers involved were among thousands of North Korean troops supporting Russian forces in Ukraine. They had previously communicated to local media their desire to be transferred to South Korea. Within South Korea, Lee faced domestic criticism following Zelensky’s disclosure, with opposition figures accusing him of concealing the transfer to appease Pyongyang. Despite the current tensions, Seoul has maintained its historically sympathetic stance toward Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion, though it continues to uphold its policy of not supplying lethal weapons to countries engaged in active armed conflict.
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