The Aporia · Ukraine sent 2 North Korean soldiers captured in Russia to South Korea, Zelensky says

Ukraine sent 2 North Korean soldiers captured in Russia to South Korea, Zelensky says

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Reuters. (2026, September 24). Ukraine sent 2 North Korean soldiers captured in Russia to South Korea, Zelensky says. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/09/24/world-news/ukraine-sent-two-north-korean-soldiers-captured-in-russia-to-south-korea-zelensky-says/

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Quick Summary

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly that Ukraine has transferred two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea. These soldiers were captured while fighting alongside Russian troops against Ukraine and had previously expressed a desire to defect. South Korean officials confirmed the transfer but did not disclose details about their current location or conditions, citing safety concerns.

Written by AI on 2026-09-24, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

In a recent address to the United Nations General Assembly, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that his country had transferred two North Korean soldiers, captured while fighting for Russia in the Kursk region, to South Korea. The North Koreans were originally deployed to support Russian forces against Ukraine and were taken prisoner by Ukrainian troops in January 2023.

However, South Korea's presidential office expressed strong regret over this disclosure, accusing Ukraine of breaching a non-disclosure agreement aimed at protecting the soldiers' safety upon transfer. Seoul’s senior presidential secretary for public relations, Seong Ghi-hong, stated that the agreement was to keep details secret due to security and humanitarian concerns.

The diplomatic spat has led South Korea to demand an official apology from Ukraine, citing damage to bilateral trust and potential domestic criticism in Kyiv if the exchange had been disclosed. Meanwhile, Zelensky’s aide Dmytro Lytvyn defended the disclosure, saying it was only meant to report the fact of the transfer, not violate any agreement.

This incident risks complicating future cooperation between South Korea and Ukraine, including possible suspensions of non-lethal aid from Seoul to Kyiv. The row underscores tensions over confidentiality agreements in international military matters.

Written for “North Korean POW Transfer” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 20 other(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 11% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

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Hedges 3 of 23 claims Outlet record 59/100

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Hedges 4 of 20 claims Outlet record 68/100

South Korea, Ukraine relations sour over North Korean POW transfer Same event

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Hedges 3 of 20 claims Outlet record 60/100

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Hedges 3 of 21 claims Outlet record 60/100

South Korea’s POW row with Ukraine puts ties and aid at risk Different event

South China Morning Post

Hedges 1 of 2 claims Outlet record 64/100

“While both articles mention North Korean prisoners of war transferred from Ukraine to South Korea, Article A reports on the actual transfer event, whereas Article B discusses a diplomatic fallout resulting from that transfer.”

South Korea fumes at Ukraine after Zelensky dishes on transfer of captured North Korean soldiers Same event

New York Post

Hedges 0 of 13 claims Outlet record 66/100

South Korea demands apology from Ukraine over disclosure of North Korean POW transfer Different event

South China Morning Post

Hedges 1 of 4 claims Outlet record 64/100

“While both articles discuss the transfer of North Korean POWs from Ukraine to South Korea, Article A describes the initial announcement by Zelensky at the UN General Assembly on September 24th, while Article B reports South Korea's reaction and demand for an apology from Ukraine days later.”

Why South Korea is demanding an apology from Ukraine over North Korean PoWs Different event

Al Jazeera

Hedges 6 of 39 claims Outlet record 60/100

“While both articles discuss the transfer of North Korean prisoners to South Korea mentioned by Zelensky, Article B focuses on South Korea's demand for an apology from Ukraine regarding the disclosure of this transfer, which is a different event.”

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

11%

2 of 19 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

66/100

New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Politics

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Who wrote this

Reuters

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Narrative

Claims (19 extracted, 2 hedged)

Ukraine has transferred two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday in an address to the United Nations General Assembly. asserted

Zelensky → transfer → Assembly

“Recently, we sent two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea,” said Zelensky in his speech. asserted

Zelensky → send → speech

“These guys are not easy to capture alive. asserted

guys → capture → ?

One of them, when he realized he was going to be taken prisoner, tried to kill himself. asserted

he → realize → himself

And he was shocked that fate did not let him die.” asserted

him → let → ?

Zelensky did not provide more details about the return. asserted

Zelensky → provide → return

Zelensky said at the time that he would hand them over to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un if he could facilitate their exchange for Ukrainians held captive in Russia. uncertain

he → say → Russia

Human rights groups, however, urged him to repatriate them to South Korea, citing the risks of punishments the soldiers faced. asserted

soldiers → urge → punishments

South Korean media reported that the two captured soldiers had expressed their desire to defect to South Korea. asserted

soldiers → report → Korea

South Korean opposition lawmaker Yu Yong-weon told reporters on Thursday that the two North Koreans had left Ukraine last weekend, transited through a third country and arrived in South Korea three to four days ago, Yonhap News Agency reported. asserted

Agency → tell → Korea

“While their exact location is unknown, I believe our intelligence agencies are protecting them,” Yu was quoted as saying. asserted

Yu → believe → them

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said it would not be able to confirm the matter, citing the need to protect the safety of the soldiers and their families. asserted

it → say → soldiers

The country’s Unification Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. asserted

Ministry → respond → comment

South Korea in June said it would accept all North Korean prisoners of war who fought for Russia and opposed any repatriation of them to Russia or North Korea. asserted

who → say → Russia

Why should Koreans give their lives in a war against Ukraine? asserted

Koreans → give → Ukraine

Kim Jong Un uses them like currency. asserted

Un → use → currency

And he gets something in return,” he said. asserted

he → get → return

North Korea has sent around 14,000 to 15,000 soldiers since 2024 to support Russia’s war against Ukraine, according to Ukrainian and South Korean estimates. uncertain

Korea → send → estimates

Most of them have been deployed in the Russian region of Kursk, where they helped Moscow’s forces repel a Ukrainian incursion. asserted

forces → deploy → incursion

Ukraine sent 2 North Korean soldiers captured in Russia to South Korea, Zelensky says

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Claims (19 extracted, 2 hedged)