POWs were handed over quietly, but not for long: South Korea reacted to Zelensky's statement

The President of South Korea Lee Jae-myung expressed regret over the public announcement of the transfer to South Korea of two North Korean prisoners of war whom Ukrainian forces captured during fighting in the Kursk region of Russia. According to the South Korean leader, Ukraine and South Korea had agreed not to disclose information about the transfer, as the matter could have implications for diplomacy, national security, and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

Lee Jae-myung wrote this on the social network X after Volodymyr Zelensky, during a speech at the UN General Assembly in New York, said that Ukraine had recently transferred two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea. The official website of the President of Ukraine also published the relevant excerpt of the speech. Lee Jae-myung called the repatriation of North Korean prisoners an extremely sensitive issue and said the decision not to disclose the information had been agreed by the parties.

“The repatriation of North Korean prisoners is an extremely delicate issue that has serious consequences for diplomacy, national security, and the situation on the Korean Peninsula. To those who — regardless of the state of inter-Korean relations, possible human casualties, or harm to national interests — would prefer to loudly announce the repatriation to the whole world in order to claim credit for it, the decision of our government not to disclose this information will probably seem incomprehensible… One cannot be so cruel and irresponsible when it comes to such vital matters as human lives and national security,” wrote Lee Jae-myung.

The President of South Korea also noted that even within the government there were suggestions to publicly announce the transfer of the prisoners, as this could have a positive effect on the authorities’ political ratings. At the same time, Lee Jae-myung said the government chose confidentiality, taking into account the possible consequences of public disclosure.

According to Yonhap, South Korean authorities had previously refrained from confirming the arrival of the prisoners, citing, among other things, possible risks to the safety of the servicemen themselves and their relatives who remain in North Korea.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian side offered a different assessment of the situation. In response to a request from Yonhap, the Office of the President of Ukraine stated that Ukraine reported the very fact of transferring the two North Korean prisoners to South Korea, but did not disclose details of how the process took place. The Ukrainian side said it would be strange to completely conceal the fact of the transfer.

It was separately reported that South Korea knew in advance of Volodymyr Zelensky‘s intention to mention the transfer of the prisoners. According to a representative of the South Korean administration, Ukraine informed Seoul about the planned speech, but, as the South Korean side claims, did not specify in detail in what form this information would be made public.

On 23 September 2026, Volodymyr Zelensky announced the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war during a speech at the UN General Assembly. The President of Ukraine said the prisoners were recently transferred to the Republic of Korea and emphasized the difficulty of capturing them alive. According to him, one of the servicemen, after realizing he would be taken prisoner, tried to take his own life.

Ukrainian forces captured two servicemen of North Korea in January 2025 in the Kursk region. They were there as part of North Korean troops sent to Russia to support its war against Ukraine. After their capture, the servicemen expressed a desire to go to South Korea, after which Seoul and Kyiv held consultations regarding their transfer.

Thus, the public announcement of the transfer of the prisoners sparked a diplomatic dispute between Ukraine and South Korea: Seoul believes the parties had agreed on non-disclosure, while the Ukrainian side stresses that it only reported the fact of the transfer without revealing operational details.Раніше ми писали:

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