The Independent
· collected 2026-10-02 · by Sian Elvin,Maroosha Muzaffar and Maryam Zakir-Hussain
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.
South Korea has vowed to escalate its row with Ukraine over the announcement of two North Korean POWs’ transfer to Seoul, saying the country’s “dignity” is at stake.
asserted
dignity → vow → stake
Ukraine has sought to play down the row as a “diplomatic misunderstanding”, but on Friday South Korean president Lee Jae Myung said his country would take “further action” if Kyiv does not apologise and continues to deny the existence of a confidentiality agreement related to the POWs.
asserted
Kyiv → seek → POWs
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky revealed at the UN General Assembly last week that the prisoners had been sent to South Korea, angering Seoul which expected the transfer to remain secret.
asserted
transfer → reveal → Seoul
They were the first two North Koreans captured alive from a contingent sent to join Vladimir Putin’s invasion forces.
asserted
They → capture → forces
Earlier, Putin said Russia will use all the weapons at their disposal if the country is attacked by Europe in his latest sabre-rattling threat.
asserted
country → say → threat
The Russian president reiterated Moscow's long-held position that Russia is not planning to attack European countries, but said it would respond to any attacks with all its arsenal.
asserted
it → reiterate → arsenal
Ukraine wants to heal 'misunderstanding' with South Korea
Ukraine is working to heal a spat with South Korea over Kyiv's publicly announced transfer of two North Korean servicemen taken prisoner in the war against Russia.
asserted
Ukraine → want → Russia
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky revealed while he was addressing the UN General Assembly last week that the prisoners had been sent to South Korea, angering Seoul which expected the transfer to remain secret.
asserted
transfer → reveal → Seoul
Ukrainian Foreign minister Andrii Sybiha told journalists late on Thursday: "I would not like to call this an incident.
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I → tell → this
Let's say, it's a diplomatic misunderstanding," according to a report run by the news website nv.ua and other media.
uncertain
it → let → website
"I really hope that this situation will be resolved in the very near future and we are working on it.
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we → hope → it
And I really hope for momentum, continuation, and concrete results that we are truly achieving with them."
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we → hope → them
Ukraine captured the two North Koreans in January 2025, the first to be captured alive since Pyongyang entered the war in 2024 assisting Russia.
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Pyongyang → capture → Russia
North Korea has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Russia, including a mutual defence pact, and dispatched an estimated 14,000 troops to help Moscow evict Ukrainian troops from its Kursk region.
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Moscow → sign → region
Zelensky this week said more than 8,000 North Korean troops remained in Russia and 10,000 were being trained for a future deployment.
asserted
10,000 → say → deployment
Ukraine attacks industrial facilities in Russia's Volgograd with drones, governor says
Ukraine has attacked the Russian city of Volgograd, home to a large oil refinery, with drones targeting industrial facilities, governor Andrei Bocharov said on Telegram on Friday.
asserted
Bocharov → attack → Friday
The drone attack sparked a fire in an apartment building, injuring one, and was later extinguished, he said, without naming the industrial facilities.
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he → spark → facilities
South Korea threatens to escalate row with Ukraine over POWs
South Korean president Lee Jae Myung says Seoul will take additional measures if Ukraine continues to deny the existence of a confidentiality agreement related to the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war, and called on Kyiv to acknowledge the agreement and apologise.
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Ukraine → threaten → agreement
In a post on X, Lee also expressed grave regret over Ukraine's response, accusing Kyiv of undermining South Korea's head of state and warning that remarks about an imminent military clash between North and South Korea amounted to invoking the risk of war on the Korean Peninsula.
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remarks → express → Peninsula
Russian air strikes hit Southern Bridge in Kyiv again, says mayor
Russian air strikes have again hit the Southern Bridge in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram on Friday.
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Klitschko → hit → Friday
On Thursday, Russian drones smashed into a school in Kyiv and into the Southern Bridge over the Dnipro River, triggering fires in the capital, as Moscow continues its near-daily around-the-clock strikes on Ukraine.
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Moscow → smash → Ukraine
Kanye West’s Russia concerts cancelled after weeks of uncertainty
The 49-year-old American rapper was scheduled to perform at the Gazprom Arena in St Petersburg on 10 and 11 October.
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rapper → cancel → October
Writing on the messaging platform Telegram, Moscow-based promoter Say Agency announced that the dates had been scrapped.
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dates → write → platform
"Friends, it is with sincere regret that we inform you that the Ye concerts in Saint Petersburg on the scheduled dates will not be able to take place," the agency posted.
Watch: Ukraine strikes two ships linked to Russia in Black Sea, Zelensky says
Russia intensifies airstrikes
Russia has intensified airstrikes as its overall frontline advances have slowed this year.
One person was wounded on Thursday in a Russian attack on a business centre in the Black Sea port city of Odesa, regional officials said.
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officials → inform → Odesa
City administration chief Serhiy Lysak said infrastructure had been damaged but gave no further details.
Odesa and the surrounding region have been a frequent target of attacks aimed partly at choking Kyiv's export revenues.
Russia, which says it strikes only military targets, reported that it had attacked a data centre in Odesa and a cargo vessel in the nearby port of Chornomorsk.
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it → say → Chornomorsk
Ukraine has also stepped up attacks on Russia, striking oil refineries and major online retailers to try to undermine Moscow's war effort.
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Ukraine → step → effort
One man was killed when a Ukrainian drone exploded in the town of Graivoron in Russia's Belgorod region, local authorities said on Thursday.
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authorities → kill → Thursday
Merz warns of more Russian hybrid attacks as he reaffirms support for Ukraine
Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned on Thursday that Germany faced more hybrid attacks from Russia as he pledged to continue support for Ukraine ahead of what is likely to be its harshest winter since the start of Russia's invasion in 2022.
German authorities have warned repeatedly that Russia is conducting a hybrid campaign of drone and cyber attacks, accusing Moscow of being behind an attempted drone attack at Leipzig airport in August.
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Russia → warn → August
"We are preparing for further hybrid attacks, including serious ones," Merz said in a speech marking the award of the 2026 Westphalian Peace Prize to the NATO alliance.
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Merz → prepare → alliance
Moscow has rejected the accusations from Western governments and intelligence services.
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Moscow → reject → governments
Speaking to a forum of Russia experts on Thursday, President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was not about to attack foreign factories that produce weapons for Ukraine but that this was something Russian intelligence services needed to track closely.
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services → speak → Ukraine
Merz and his conservatives have been badly weakened by elections in two eastern German states last month in which the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) triumphed.
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Alternative → weaken → Germany
Putin says he will use ‘all Russia’s weapons’ against Europe if attacked in chilling threat
Vladimir Putin has said Russia will use all the weapons at their disposal in response to European aggression.
The Russian president reiterated Moscow's long-held position that Russia is not planning to attack European countries, but would respond to any attacks with all its arsenal.
asserted
Russia → say → arsenal
“If it comes to a direct attack on the Russian Federation — in this case we mean Kaliningrad, or maybe some other territories — of course, inevitably and immediately the question of Russian Federation using all weapons at the disposal of our country will appear on the agenda,” Putin said.
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Putin → come → agenda
It comes as several Russian embassies in Europe this week issued statements that said Moscow has “information that NATO is preparing (an) air and naval blockade of Kaliningrad and (the) Kaliningrad region.”
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NATO → come → Kaliningrad
They accused European leaders of “playing a dangerous game” by saying Russia might attack another country or ramp up a campaign of destabilising attacks with drones and sabotage.
uncertain
Russia → accuse → drones
Moscow has called the allegations absurd.
asserted
Moscow → call → allegations
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