South Korea in Talks with Ukraine over Unilateral POW Disclosure

SEOUL, Oct. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has been in diplomatic communication with Ukraine over Kyiv's unilateral disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) to Seoul, the foreign ministry said Thursday.

The comments came after South Korea demanded an official explanation and apology over Ukraine's disclosure of the transfer and a statement from the Ukrainian presidential office denying that there had been an agreement to keep the matter confidential.

"We have conveyed our position to the Ukrainian side, and we understand that Ukraine is also reviewing it. Communication between the diplomatic authorities of the two countries is under way," a ministry official said.

"Ukraine is also aware this is a sensitive matter, and given the relations between the two countries, we expect the Ukrainian side to convey its position on the matter," he added.

But the official noted Ukraine has yet to issue an official response, saying it would be inappropriate to speculate on how or when it might do so.

The two North Korean soldiers were captured in January 2025 while fighting for Russia in the Kursk region and arrived in South Korea in mid-September, according to officials. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed their transfer in an address to the U.N. General Assembly last week.

President Lee Jae Myung called the disclosure "very disappointing," saying the matter was sensitive and could have implications for diplomacy, national security and the security situation on the Korean Peninsula.

South Korea's spy agency said Wednesday it was Ukraine that first asked the POW transfer be kept a secret, adding the two nations had a shared understanding to keep it confidential from the beginning of the transfer process.

Ukraine has disputed Seoul's characterization of the non-disclosure arrangement. According to foreign media reports, a senior Ukrainian official said that there had been no agreement at the presidential level to keep the transfer private.

Despite the dispute, Seoul has said the matter would not be linked to other areas of bilateral cooperation, including humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and joint postwar reconstruction efforts.

"This is a humanitarian issue that is not linked to any other precondition or matter," the foreign ministry official said.