South Korea Threatens Punitive Steps Against Ukraine Over Disclosure of North Korean POW Transfer

SEOUL – South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has threatened to take unspecified punitive measures against Ukraine unless Kyiv publicly apologises for revealing what Seoul says was a confidential transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea.

The diplomatic dispute erupted after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the transfer in his speech to the United Nations General Assembly last month. Seoul says the disclosure breached a nondisclosure agreement between the two governments. Kyiv denies ever agreeing to such an arrangement.

In a post on X on Friday, Lee said Ukraine’s denial had made him look like “a liar,” as it contradicted his earlier statements about the confidentiality deal. He said his government would take additional measures if Ukraine did not acknowledge the agreement and apologise publicly, calling it a matter of national dignity that could not be ignored.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the row on Thursday as a diplomatic misunderstanding. He said he had been in daily contact with his South Korean counterpart and hoped to resolve the situation quickly.

The two North Korean soldiers were among thousands of troops Pyongyang sent to support Russia’s war against Ukraine. They were captured in Russia’s Kursk region in early 2025 and later said they wished to resettle in South Korea, which offered to accept them. Seoul says they arrived in mid-September.

According to Lee’s office, the confidentiality arrangement was made partly because Kyiv feared domestic criticism for giving up the chance to use the soldiers in future prisoner exchanges with Russia. Seoul, for its part, was concerned about the safety of the soldiers and their families in North Korea, as well as wider foreign policy and security considerations. South Korean officials believe Zelenskyy may have hoped the announcement would build public support in South Korea for supplying Ukraine with missile defence and other weapons.

The episode is also awkward for Lee’s government, which is seeking to revive dialogue with Pyongyang. North Korea has reacted angrily to past defections, accusing Seoul of abducting its citizens. Lee has said his government is working to help restart talks between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump. South Korea’s intelligence agency told lawmakers this week that it sees roughly a 50 percent chance of US-North Korea talks around November, when Trump is due in Asia for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in China.

Prospects for inter-Korean reconciliation have also been strained by recent mine explosions at the border that injured three South Korean soldiers. Seoul blames North Korean-planted mines and has demanded an apology. On Friday, Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader’s sister and a senior official, dismissed the demand and said Pyongyang intends to cut ties with the South permanently.

Despite Lee’s sharper rhetoric, analysts say Seoul is unlikely to take drastic action such as cutting aid. Experts noted that South Korea’s international standing depends on honouring its support commitments, and that Ukraine offers valuable intelligence on Russia-North Korea military cooperation as well as battlefield experience, particularly with drones. They also warned that being seen to prioritise Pyongyang’s and Moscow’s reactions over cooperation with Kyiv could raise concerns among Seoul’s Western partners.

South Korea has provided $445 million in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine since 2022. In July, Lee pledged a further $100 million during a meeting with Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey. South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday it would keep exploring ways to support Ukraine with humanitarian and reconstruction aid. In line with its policy on countries at war, Seoul does not supply weapons to Ukraine.