Row between Ukraine, South Korea mounts over North Korean POWs

South Korea’s ⁠President ⁠Lee Jae Myung has expressed anger at Ukraine over comments by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a speech at the UN which appeared to reveal a secret deal by which Kyiv would transfer North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul.

In a social media post on Friday, Lee accused Ukraine of undermining him and ⁠warned that Zelenskyy’s ⁠remarks about an imminent military clash between North and South Korea ‌amounted to invoking the risk of war on ‌the ‌Korean Peninsula.

The diplomatic row pits two US-aligned states with powerful militaries against each other, potentially complicating US efforts to shore up a united global front to contain Russia, China and North Korea.

The South Korean president also expressed ⁠regret over Ukraine’s response and called on Kyiv to acknowledge the agreement and apologise.

“This is a matter concerning the honor of the Republic of Korea’s people and nation, we cannot overlook it,” Lee said.

 

Lee also referred to an interview with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha published by RBC-Ukraine and other Ukrainian outlets on Thursday which sought to reduce bilateral tensions.

Sybiha had said he would “not like to call it an incident”, describing it instead as a “diplomatic misunderstanding”.

“South Korea is an important country for us. And I very much hope for momentum, continued cooperation, and concrete results that we are indeed achieving with them,” he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during the UN General Assembly that Kyiv had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea after they were caught fighting for Russia in the Kursk region.

South Korea demanded an official apology and explanation from Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of disclosing the transfer of the two North Korean POWs to Seoul.

South Korea’s senior presidential secretary Seong Ghi-hong said in a statement that Ukraine had repeatedly discussed the prisoners’ transfer with Seoul through various channels and had requested secrecy. However, Kyiv has said no secrecy agreement existed.