South Korea’s president expressed strong regret over Ukraine’s disclosure of transferring two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) to Seoul, despite an existing nondisclosure agreement. The transfer occurred last week when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned it during his United Nations address. South Korea claims the agreement was meant to protect the POWs from potential dangers, while Ukraine maintains that disclosing the details without specifics did not violate any confidentiality terms. This disagreement is straining bilateral relations between Seoul and Kyiv.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-27,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
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 2026-10-04,
grounded in this article and the 20 other(s) covering the same event.
The South Korean president’s office has expressed “strong regret” over Ukraine’s disregard for a nondisclosure agreement with Seoul in the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) to Seoul, South Korean media reported.
asserted
media → express → Seoul
Last week, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) that his country transferred two North Korean POWs to South Korea.
asserted
country → say → Korea
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President Lee Jae Myung’s office “expresses strong regret over Ukraine’s unilateral disclosure [of the transfer] and its subsequent false announcement that there had not been a non-disclosure agreement”, the Yonhap news agency quoted Seong Ghi-hong, South Korea’s senior presidential secretary for public relations, as saying in a statement on Sunday.
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agency → wound → Sunday
The office said the nondisclosure agreement aimed to safeguard the soldiers from dangers they could face if their transfer were to be disclosed, in accordance with international law and humanitarian principles.
uncertain
transfer → say → law
According to Yonhap, a South Korean media outlet, the Ukrainian presidential office said it had disclosed the transfer of the POWs without extensive details on the process, claiming that it would have been strange to keep the entire transfer a secret.
uncertain
it → accord → transfer
Ukrainian media outlets reported a Ukrainian presidential source as denying the existence of a confidentiality agreement with Seoul, Yonhap said.
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Yonhap → report → Seoul
The South Korean presidential office said the Ukrainian presidential office’s “false” denial of the confidentiality agreement “seriously hampers” bilateral trust and causes serious disruptions to bilateral friendship.
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denial → say → friendship
Seong Ghi-hong said the government was considering additional measures over the issue, if necessary, Yonhap added.
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Yonhap → say → issue
North Korean POWS
Ukrainian forces captured the two North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk region in January 2025.
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forces → capture → January
Mounting evidence, including from intelligence reports and testimonies of defectors, has indicated that North Korean soldiers resorted to self-detonation or other forms of suicide rather than be captured.
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soldiers → mount → suicide
In his UN address, Zelenskyy said, “These guys are not easy to capture alive.”
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guys → say → address
He added, “One of them, when he realised he was going to be taken prisoner, tried to kill himself.
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he → add → himself
And he was shocked that fate did not let him die.”
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him → let → ?
South Korean media reported that the two captured soldiers had expressed their desire to defect to South Korea.
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soldiers → report → Korea
The issue of North Korean prisoners of war was a key topic during the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkiye, where Lee met Zelenskyy in July.
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Lee → meet → July
Senior presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung stated afterwards that both leaders agreed to resolve the status of North Korean POWs in accordance with international law.
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leaders → state → law
This built on a prior agreement reached during the South Korea-Ukraine foreign ministers’ meeting in March, where both nations pledged to cooperate on the POW issue.
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nations → build → issue
According to South Korean intelligence, North Korea is estimated to have deployed approximately 14,000-15,000 soldiers to support Russia’s efforts in its war with Ukraine since 2024, primarily in the Kursk border region.
uncertain
Korea → accord → region
South Korean, Ukrainian and Western officials said they suffered heavy casualties, with more than 6,000 North Korean soldiers killed in the fighting.
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soldiers → say → fighting
The transfer comes as South Korea has backed efforts to revive dialogue with North Korea, while United States President Donald Trump has renewed his willingness to engage with Pyongyang.
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Trump → come → Pyongyang
The Aporia
