President Lee Jae-myung strongly criticizes Ukraine's statement that inter-Korean military conflict is imminent

“Ukra, rumors of imminent inter-Korean military conflict… Attempt to break out war on the Korean Peninsula”

Strong criticism of “making the head of the other country a liar… it’s a matter of national prestige”

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lim Hyeong-seop = President Lee Jae-myung publicly criticized Ukraine on the 2nd for disclosing the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea and for mentioning the possibility of escalating tensions between North and South Korea on the Korean Peninsula.

In an article posted on

He continued, “I asked him to acknowledge the fact of the agreement and apologize, but on the contrary, I expressed serious regret to Ukraine for attempting to start a war on the Korean Peninsula by talking about an ‘imminent military conflict between South and North Korea.’”

In particular, President Lee warned, “If you continue to refuse to acknowledge the facts and make a public apology, we will take additional measures,” and added, “This is an issue concerning the people of the Republic of Korea and the prestige of the country, and cannot be tolerated.”

In relation to the 'additional measures' mentioned by President Lee, some in the Blue House and the ruling party are discussing the idea of ​​recalling Ambassador to Ukraine Park Ki-chang to Korea.

Summoning a local ambassador is an exceptional measure used as a strong protest against the policies of the host country.

In relation to this, Rep. Song Young-gil of the Democratic Party of Korea, special adviser to the President for Peace and Diplomacy, appeared on MBC Radio's 'Focus' on this day and said, "The President is quite angry," and "We must receive an official apology from Ukraine."

He continued, “The first step was to summon the Ukrainian ambassador to Korea (on the 28th of last month), and if no further comments are made, we will summon our ambassador.”

Previously, the Blue House criticized Ukraine's repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea by saying, "We have not made an agreement with South Korea to keep the facts secret," saying, "We express strong regret over the false publicity."

In this situation, it seems that President Lee has increased the level of pressure, including directly demanding an apology, as remarks by Chief of Staff to the Ukrainian President Kirillo Budanow became known.

In a social media post quoting a recent News Force interview, Chief of Staff Budanow mentioned North Korean troops participating in the Ukraine war on Russia's side and said, "North Korea is learning from our war and arming itself."

At the same time, he claimed that the North Korean military's appearance was "above all to prepare for active combat in its own region."