By Media360impact
South Korea has demanded an official explanation and apology from Ukraine after Kyiv publicly disclosed the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul.
The dispute erupted after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed during his address to the United Nations General Assembly that Ukraine had handed over two North Korean soldiers captured while fighting alongside Russian forces.
Seoul says the disclosure breached an understanding with Ukraine to keep the sensitive transfer confidential, while Ukrainian officials have disputed that a formal non-disclosure agreement existed.
What happened to the North Korean soldiers?
Ukrainian forces captured the two North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk region in January 2025.
They were among North Korean troops deployed to support Russia in its war against Ukraine. South Korean and Ukrainian assessments have put the number of North Korean troops sent to Russia at roughly 14,000 to 15,000.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly last week, Zelenskyy said the two soldiers had been transferred to South Korea.
He also said one of the prisoners had attempted to take his own life rather than be captured.
South Korean media had previously reported that the two soldiers wanted to defect to South Korea.
Why is South Korea angry?
South Korea had kept the presence and transfer of the two soldiers private, citing concerns about their safety and the possible consequences for their relatives still in North Korea.
President Lee Jae Myung criticised Ukraine’s decision to make the transfer public.
Lee said the matter was highly sensitive because of its possible implications for diplomacy, national security and relations between North and South Korea.
South Korea’s presidential office later said Ukraine had repeatedly discussed the transfer with Seoul and had agreed to keep the matter confidential.
Seong Ghi-hong, senior presidential secretary for public relations, said the office expressed “strong regret” over what it described as Ukraine’s unilateral disclosure and its subsequent denial that a non-disclosure agreement existed.
Seoul said the dispute had damaged trust between the two governments and could affect their relations.
What does Ukraine say?
Kyiv has disputed Seoul’s account that a formal confidentiality agreement existed.
Ukrainian media, citing a source in the Ukrainian presidential office, reported that there had been no such agreement.
The Ukrainian side has also argued that Zelenskyy’s announcement only confirmed that the soldiers had been transferred to South Korea, without providing extensive details about the process.
The conflicting accounts over the alleged agreement are at the centre of the diplomatic dispute.
How many North Korean troops are in Russia?
South Korean and Ukrainian estimates indicate that around 14,000 to 15,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed to support Russia since 2024.
Many were sent to Russia’s Kursk region, where Russian forces have been fighting to push back Ukrainian troops following Kyiv’s incursion into the area.
North Korea has also provided Russia with military supplies, including artillery ammunition and other weapons, according to Ukrainian and Western assessments.
What will happen to the two soldiers?
The two North Korean soldiers are expected to undergo questioning and security screening by South Korean authorities.
Seoul’s Ministry of Unification said it would review their cases under South Korean law and existing procedures for North Korean defectors.
The country’s National Intelligence Service is expected to play a role in investigating their backgrounds while they remain in protective custody.
A South Korean opposition lawmaker who met the soldiers in Ukraine earlier this year said they had served in North Korea’s special forces.
The lawmaker said their accounts could provide information about North Korea’s military training, capabilities and involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The case has now developed into a diplomatic disagreement between South Korea and Ukraine, with Seoul seeking an explanation and apology over the disclosure while Kyiv disputes that it violated a formal confidentiality agreement.
Source: Al Jazeera / Reuters / Yonhap
