South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Friday called for a public apology from Ukraine and stated that “additional measures” would be considered following Kyiv’s disclosure of a prisoner transfer. The statement addresses an announcement made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the United Nations General Assembly, where he confirmed that two captured North Korean soldiers had been transferred to South Korea, a move Seoul says violated a confidentiality agreement.
In a post on the social media platform X on October 2, President Lee stated that Ukraine had unilaterally revealed the transfer despite an agreement to keep the matter private. He said that the disclosure was a matter “concerning the honor of the Republic of Korea’s people and nation” that “we cannot overlook.”
The dispute began after President Zelenskyy’s speech at the U.N. General Assembly the previous week. Following the speech, South Korea’s government said it summoned Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires to protest the disclosure. According to Seoul, it had been agreed that the transfer would remain confidential because of potential negative effects on prisoner exchanges with Russia.
On Thursday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha characterized the issue as a “diplomatic misunderstanding” that he expected would be resolved, according to media reports. Sybiha added that South Korea remains an important partner for Ukraine.
In his social media post, President Lee also commented on recent remarks by a Ukrainian official regarding tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Lee said, “When we demanded acknowledgement of the agreement and an apology, they instead spoke of an imminent military clash between North and South… we express grave regret toward Ukraine.”
Lee’s comments referred to a recent interview with Kyrylo Budanov, the chief of staff for the Ukrainian president. In the interview, Budanov discussed North Korea’s involvement in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and commented on the potential for military escalation between North and South Korea. “The situation is escalating every day. And it is only a matter of time before a trigger event occurs that will lead to uncontrolled consequences,” Budanov stated in a Telegram post.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service reportedly told lawmakers that a possible reason for Zelenskyy’s announcement was to encourage South Korea to provide military aid to Ukraine. Previously, Zelenskyy has publicly requested air defense systems from Seoul. South Korea has maintained a policy of providing humanitarian and financial aid to Ukraine but has not supplied lethal weapons.
