The Aporia · Seoul seeks apology after Ukraine 'breached' confidentiality agreement over transfer of North Korean POWs

South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung is demanding an apology from Ukraine after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed details about transferring two North Korean prisoner of war soldiers to Seoul, breaching a confidentiality agreement. The disclosure has strained relations between the countries and could complicate Ukraine's efforts to secure military aid from South Korea. South Korea’s Presidential office claims that the breach undermines trust and damages friendly relations, and is considering additional measures in response to the incident.

Written by AI on 2026-09-28, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

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.

📰 North Korean POW Transfer

Politics · 21 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

This article reads unscored and hedges 14% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

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Hedges 0 of 13 claims Outlet record 68/100

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Hedges 1 of 11 claims Outlet record 66/100

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Hedges 4 of 20 claims Outlet record 68/100

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Hedges 1 of 2 claims Outlet record 64/100

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Hedges 6 of 24 claims Outlet record 64/100

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Hedges 0 of 13 claims Outlet record 66/100

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Hedges 1 of 11 claims Outlet record 60/100

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⚖️ Leans strongly right Hedges 0 of 5 claims Outlet record 64/100

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⚖️ Leans right Hedges 3 of 15 claims Outlet record 66/100

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North Korean soldiers were among the foreign contingent conscripted to fight alongside Russian troops on various frontlines in the war on Ukraine, after the Kremlin sought assistance from its close allies to bolster its deployments amid struggles with domestic conscription. asserted

Kremlin → conscript → conscription

South Korea's President’s Lee Jae Myung’s office demanded an apology from Ukraine for denying an agreement to keep the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war from its territory to Seoul confidential. asserted

office → demand → Seoul

The row was ignited by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's disclosure last week that his country had sent two North Korean soldiers to the South, adding that they were "not easy to capture alive". asserted

they → ignite → South

The intensifying dispute risks complicating Kyiv's efforts to obtain weapons from allies, including South Korea, to fight off bombardments from Russia. asserted

dispute → intensify → Russia

Hours after Zelensky's disclosure, South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung criticised the action. asserted

Myung → criticise → action

"I do not know why the Ukrainian side broke the agreement and made the matter public, but it is very disappointing," he wrote on X. Zelensky's aide Dmytro Lytvyn sought to play down the disclosure, saying that the president had only made public the fact that the soldiers were handed to South Korea. asserted

soldiers → know → Korea

Ukraine is an "open country", noted Lytvyn, saying that it would be “unusual” to hand over the soldiers in secret. asserted

it → note → secret

But Seoul condemned it as a breach of trust. asserted

Seoul → condemn → trust

Seong Ghi-hong, senior presidential secretary for public relations, said in a statement late on Sunday that South Korea was "considering additional measures that may be necessary regarding this matter". uncertain

that → say → matter

"It is in itself a very serious matter that the Ukrainian side violated the confidentiality agreement between the two countries and made the disclosure unilaterally,” he said. asserted

he → violate → disclosure

"But the Ukrainian presidential press office's false statement that there had been no confidentiality agreement, seriously undermines trust between the two governments and gravely damages friendly relations between the two countries," he added. asserted

he → undermine → countries

The South Korean Presidential office demands "an official explanation and apology," said Seong. asserted

Seong → demand → explanation

Ukraine captured early last year two North Korean soldiers among Pyongyang's troops fighting for Moscow. asserted

Ukraine → capture → Moscow

One of them said he served in a reconnaissance unit and while some North Korean soldiers had been trained to use Russian military equipment, he had not. asserted

he → say → equipment

The soldier said he was conscripted to the military aged 17 and had been serving since then. asserted

he → say → military

A South Korean lawmaker had previously said the pair wanted to live a "normal life" in the South of the Peninsula. asserted

pair → say → Peninsula

Analysts believe Lee Jae Myung’s angry reaction to the confidentiality agreement risks sparking intense feuds with the nuclear-armed north, which could translate into further hostility towards Seoul. uncertain

which → believe → Seoul

"North Korea has been using the deployed soldiers to create a heroic narrative for regime propaganda, and the South Korean government appears concerned that confirming the prisoners' return to the South and publicising it could further fuel hostility towards Seoul," said Park Won-gon, a professor at Ewha Womans University. uncertain

gon → use → University

Beyond the ramifications within South Korea, the row also risks complicating Kyiv's requests to the ally for armaments supplies. asserted

row → risk → supplies

South Korea has so far not provided lethal weapons to Ukraine, citing a domestic ban on militarily aiding countries at war. asserted

Korea → provide → war

Nevertheless, it had been considering requests for defensive weapons, especially since North Korea deployed troops to support Russia. asserted

Korea → consider → Russia

Seoul seeks apology after Ukraine 'breached' confidentiality agreement over transfer of North Korean POWs

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