Seoul threatens 'further action' over Ukraine's POW disclosure row

South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung has demanded a public apology from Ukraine and threatened unspecified further action if the demand is not met. The dispute centers on a disclosure made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the United Nations general assembly last week: that two North Korean prisoners of war had been transferred to South Korea. Seoul says the transfer was meant to remain confidential, and the public revelation has created a diplomatic rift between two countries that have otherwise stood together against Russian aggression.

The two soldiers at the heart of the dispute were among thousands of North Koreans fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. Both had expressed to local media that they wanted to be sent to South Korea. When Zelensky announced their transfer at the UN, Lee's government immediately objected, saying the move should have stayed secret. Lee's office later explained that Ukraine itself had requested confidentiality, citing two reasons: to protect the soldiers' families from potential retaliation by North Korea, and to avoid international criticism that Kyiv had squandered a chance to exchange the men for Ukrainian prisoners held by Russia.

Zelensky's office has flatly rejected this account. A spokesperson said the two countries had reached no agreement to keep the transfer confidential, a contradiction that has only deepened the crisis. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha initially characterized the situation as a "diplomatic misunderstanding" and said Kyiv was working to resolve it. But Lee dismissed that framing entirely. In a post on X, he said the matter touched on "the dignity of the Korean people and the nation"—language suggesting he views it as far more than a procedural mix-up.

Lee has also accused Ukraine of attempting to provoke conflict on the Korean Peninsula. "We express serious regret that, instead of acknowledging the facts of the agreement and apologising, they are talking about an imminent military clash between the North and South," he wrote. The accusation appears to reference Ukraine's denial that any confidentiality agreement existed, which Lee interprets as Kyiv trying to shift blame rather than take responsibility.

Domestically, Lee has faced sharp criticism from South Korea's opposition, who say he covered up the transfer to appease Pyongyang. The disclosure has put him in a difficult position: he is being attacked at home for allegedly concealing the move, while simultaneously demanding that Ukraine apologize for revealing it. Sybiha, speaking to Ukrainian media on Thursday, expressed hope that the situation would be resolved soon, emphasizing that South Korea is an important partner for Ukraine and that the two countries are achieving concrete results together. But Lee's threat of "further action"—left deliberately vague—suggests Seoul is prepared to escalate if an apology is not forthcoming.

The crisis is notable because South Korea has been broadly supportive of Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion began. However, Seoul has maintained a strict policy of not providing lethal weapons to any country engaged in active warfare, a constraint that reflects its own precarious position on the peninsula. The dispute over two soldiers' transfer now threatens to strain an alliance that has otherwise held firm against Russian pressure.