South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has publicly rebuked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for violating a confidentiality agreement. The dispute arose after Zelenskyy disclosed that Ukraine had transferred two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea, a move that Seoul had intended to keep private.
The controversy began after Zelenskyy informed the United Nations that his administration had sent two North Korean soldiers to South Korea, remarking that they were "not easy to capture alive." Following this public statement, President Lee expressed his frustration on the social media platform X. He stated, "I do not know why the Ukrainian side broke the agreement and made the matter public, but it is very disappointing."
Lee emphasized that the transfer of North Korean prisoners is a highly sensitive matter that carries significant implications for regional security, diplomacy, and the overall situation on the Korean Peninsula. According to the South Korean leader, there had been internal discussions regarding the potential disclosure of these arrivals, but officials had mutually agreed that maintaining confidentiality was the appropriate course of action given the potential risks.
In response to the criticism, an aide to President Zelenskyy, Dmytro Lytvyn, defended the disclosure. Lytvyn told journalists that Ukraine operates as an open country and noted that it would have been unusual to hand over the soldiers in total secrecy. He added that of the entire, detailed story, Ukraine had reported only the fundamental fact that the soldiers were sent to the Republic of Korea.
The soldiers in question were captured by Ukrainian forces early last year while fighting alongside Russian troops. Previously, a South Korean lawmaker indicated that the pair had expressed a desire to live a "normal life" in the South. Under the South Korean constitution, all Koreans—including those from the North—are regarded as citizens, a policy that officials have confirmed would apply to any North Korean troops captured in the conflict in Ukraine.
