South Korea rejects Ukraine's apology over disclosure of North Korean POW transfer as insufficient

Why it matters

The dispute risks damaging relations between two partners of Ukraine at a moment when Seoul has stepped up practical support amid Russia's war. South Korea is moving from rhetoric to concrete punitive steps, including the possible recall of its ambassador, which would be a significant diplomatic signal. The affair also exposes a tension between Ukraine's policy of transparency about POWs and partners' security sensitivities around North Korea.

What happened

On 6 October, during a parliamentary audit of his ministry, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Ukraine had sent an apology for disclosing information about the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war, but that the apology 'did not meet expectations.' He said the government was considering various response options, including the possible recall of South Korean Ambassador to Ukraine Park Hi-chan, a proposal raised by a lawmaker. Cho Hyun added that he was in constant contact with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on the matter.

The dispute dates to 23 September, when President Volodymyr Zelensky announced during his UN General Assembly address that Ukraine had transferred two North Korean soldiers, captured in January 2025 in Russia's Kursk Oblast, to South Korea. On 27 September, South Korea said it wanted an official explanation and apology and summoned Ukraine's chargé d'affaires. On 2 October, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung threatened additional measures if Kyiv did not acknowledge a confidentiality agreement and apologize.

The core disagreement is whether such an agreement existed. South Korea says there was an understanding from the start to keep the transfer secret, to protect the soldiers and their families remaining in North Korea, and that Ukraine itself first requested confidentiality. Ukraine's Presidential Office denies any such agreement existed; communications adviser Dmytro Lytvyn wrote on Facebook on 25 September that concealing where POWs end up would be wrong. The Office of the President also told Yonhap that Kyiv disclosed only the fact of the transfer and not the details of the process.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

Ukrainian sources emphasize Cho Hyun's specific phrasing that the apology 'did not meet expectations' and highlight that the apology was conveyed by Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha through diplomatic channels. They give prominent space to Dmytro Lytvyn's denial of any non-disclosure agreement and his argument that concealing where POWs are sent would be wrong, and they quote the Office of the President telling Yonhap that Kyiv disclosed only the fact of the transfer, not the process details. Sybiha's framing of the situation as a 'diplomatic misunderstanding' is also widely cited, along with his stated hope for swift resolution.

How international sources describe it

The single international source (an Azerbaijani-based, English-language agency) leads its coverage with the possible recall of South Korea's ambassador, foregrounding the diplomatic consequences over the underlying disagreement. The same source presents Seoul's claim that Ukraine itself first requested secrecy as Seoul's own assertion rather than as a disputed point.

Where reporting differs

The central disagreement is over the existence of a non-disclosure agreement. South Korea says there was an agreement from the start to keep the transfer secret to protect the soldiers and their families in North Korea, and that Ukraine itself first requested confidentiality. Ukraine's Presidential Office and adviser Dmytro Lytvyn deny any such agreement existed. A separate, lower-confidence point of conflict concerns the timing of the underlying transfer agreement: one fact (confidence 0.5) cites a July 2026 agreement for the transfer, which sits uneasily with other reporting that places the capture in January 2025 and the POWs' arrival in South Korea in mid-September.

Background

Two North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russia were captured by Ukrainian forces in January 2025 in Russia's Kursk Oblast. According to available reporting, the two POWs arrived in South Korea in mid-September. On 23 September, President Zelensky publicly disclosed the transfer during his UN General Assembly address. On 27 September, South Korea announced it wanted an official explanation and apology and summoned Ukraine's chargé d'affaires. On 2 October, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung threatened additional measures if Kyiv did not acknowledge a confidentiality agreement and apologize. Cho Hyun's 6 October statement about the insufficient apology was made during a parliamentary audit of the South Korean foreign ministry.