Scandal Over North Korean Prisoners: South Korea Accuses Ukraine

President of South Korea Lee Jae-men. Photo: REUTERS/Quetzalli Nicte-Ha

Vladimir Zelensky's address to the United Nations provoked outrage in South Korea. Lee Jae-man stated that disclosing information about the two North Korean soldiers handed over to Seoul violates prior agreements, posing a threat to the country's national security and potentially costing the lives of the prisoners and their families who remain in the homeland.

This is stated in a Korea Times article, reported by News.LIVE.

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President of South Korea accused Ukraine of disclosing information about prisoners.

On Thursday, 24 September, a diplomatic row between Kyiv and Seoul erupted over the fate of two North Korean POWs, who are also referred to as volunteers.

South Korean leader Lee Jae-man accused Ukrainian authorities of breaking secret agreements after information about the transfer of these soldiers to South Korea became public. The North Koreans themselves ended up in Ukrainian hands as early as January 2025 in the Kursk region of Russia.

There, Moscow transferred thousands of troops from North Korea to support its war against Ukraine. Having fallen into captivity, the two expressed a desire to go to South Korea, which became the subject of direct negotiations between the states.

Confidentiality was breached by Vladimir Zelensky's speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he announced the recent dispatch of North Koreans. Subsequently, the Office of the President added that the transfer occurred thanks to direct dialogue with Seoul.

The next day, Lee Jae-man expressed regret on his X account about the disclosure of these data.

“(Ukraine. — ed.) disclosed the transfer information, violating the non-disclosure agreement. I do not know the reasons for the disclosure, but I regret it,” the politician noted.

South Korea regards this information as threatening.

Earlier, the Seoul government categorically refused to confirm the arrival of the prisoners. Their position was explained by potential threats to the safety and lives of the soldiers themselves, as well as their families who remain in North Korea. Lee Jae-man stressed that this is a very delicate issue that could affect the overall security situation on the Korean Peninsula, national security, and diplomacy.

“It was appropriate not to disclose information from all sides, given the many problems that this could cause if disclosure precipitates them, and (we — ed.) agreed to do so,” the president emphasized.

In response to accusations by South Korean opposition parties about the confidentiality agreement, Lee Jae-man called the disclosure of such information irresponsible and cruel, regardless of the consequences for inter-Korean relations.

According to him, the disclosure could have harmed national interests or led to someone's death. He also expressed hope that inhumane wars in which innocent people die or are wounded would end as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian side rejects the accusations. On Thursday, the Ukrainian president's administration, in response to a request from Yonhap News Agency, explained its actions. Kyiv, however, asserts that it disclosed only the fact of the transfer of people without disclosing the details of the process, since keeping the entire operation completely secret would be odd.

News.LIVE reported that in August it became known about plans for North Korea to send 50 thousand military personnel to Russia to gain direct experience in conducting modern warfare. Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that North Korea uses the war in Ukraine as a test ground for training its fighters.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump tasked Defense Secretary Pita Gesgut with reducing the scale of joint military drills with Seoul. The American leader justified this decision by the costs to Washington and a reluctance to damage relations with Pyongyang, stating that North Korea during his presidency behaves peacefully.