South Korean President Lee threatens Ukraine with further measures — Korea Herald

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said that Seoul could take further measures if Ukraine does not acknowledge, according to him, the agreement on the confidentiality of the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea and does not publicly apologize. Korea Herald reported this, citing Lee's post on X.

According to the South Korean president, Kyiv initially asked not to disclose information about the transfer of the captured soldiers, but later made it public without Seoul's consent. Lee also said that the Ukrainian side subsequently denied the existence of a confidentiality agreement. He called this a matter of the dignity of the Republic of Korea and its citizens.

Dispute over the transfer of captured soldiers

The diplomatic dispute began after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea during his speech at the UN General Assembly on September 23. The following day, Lee called the public disclosure of this information regrettable, explaining that, according to him, the sides had agreed to keep it secret because of the possible consequences of making it public.

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Ukrainian presidential communications adviser Dmytro Lytvyn denied the existence of such an agreement on September 25. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the situation a diplomatic misunderstanding and expressed hope for a swift resolution, but there was no public apology demanded by Seoul.

Seoul's reaction

On September 27, South Korean presidential senior secretary for public relations and communications Song Gi Hoon demanded official explanations and an apology from Kyiv. The following day, First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon Joo summoned Ukraine's chargé d'affaires in Seoul, Andrii Vieshkin, and conveyed a protest.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service told lawmakers that Zelenskyy's public statement, in its assessment, may have been aimed at increasing support in South Korea for supplying weapons to Ukraine. The intelligence service also said that Seoul had not provided Ukraine with assistance in connection with the transfer of the captured soldiers. According to its data, the two North Korean soldiers arrived in South Korea in mid-September and had no serious health problems.