South Korea criticizes Zelensky for disclosing transfer of North Korean POWs

Diplomatic dispute over secret transfer

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for publicly disclosing the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea. During his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Zelensky stated that Kyiv had recently sent two captured North Korean soldiers to Seoul. Lee responded on the social media platform X, stating that the disclosure breached a bilateral confidentiality agreement negotiated between the two governments. The South Korean head of state argued that conducting state affairs must serve the interests of the country and its citizens rather than administrative popularity. He maintained that moving captured personnel from North Korea required complete confidentiality to prevent diplomatic friction and security risks on the Korean Peninsula.

I don't know why the Ukrainian side broke the agreement and made the matter public but it's very disappointing.

Kyiv and Seoul defend contrasting positions

Zelensky told the United Nations assembly that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un uses his soldiers like currency in deals with Moscow and warned against allowing them further frontline combat experience. The Ukrainian leader also noted that North Korean soldiers were not easy to capture alive on the battlefield. An adviser to the Ukrainian president, Dmytro Lytvyn, defended the speech by asserting that Ukraine is an open country and that concealing the operation would have been unusual.

From the whole story, which is long and detailed, we only reported the fact itself: that they were sent to the Republic of Korea.

Ukrainian forces captured both soldiers during combat operations in Russia's Kursk region in January 2025. One of the soldiers attempted suicide upon realizing he was about to be captured. While Kyiv initially considered offering Pyongyang a prisoner exchange for captured Ukrainian troops, international human rights groups urged Kyiv to send the men to South Korea to protect them from persecution.

Domestic fallout and transit details

In Seoul, domestic opposition parties questioned the administration over why South Korean citizens had to learn about the soldiers' arrival from a foreign leader's address. Opposition lawmaker Yu Yong Weon reported that the two North Korean soldiers departed Ukraine over the weekend, transited through a third nation, and arrived in South Korea three to four days before the public announcement. Yu noted that South Korean intelligence agencies are currently protecting the two individuals at an undisclosed location. The South Korean foreign ministry declined to confirm specific details regarding the timing or travel routes, emphasizing the need to protect the soldiers and their families living in North Korea.

Legal obligations and regional troop deployments

South Korea's constitution defines all people across the Korean Peninsula as South Korean citizens, legally obligating the government to accept defectors and refugees. In June, Seoul confirmed that it would take in any captured North Korean soldiers who fought for Russia and declined repatriation to Russia or North Korea. South Korean officials stated that both transferred soldiers specifically requested resettlement to lead normal lives in the South. According to estimates provided by Kyiv and Seoul, North Korea deployed between 14,000 and 16,000 troops to assist Russian forces after initiating artillery and ammunition deliveries in 2023.