Seoul demands apology from Kyiv after disclosure of transfer of two North Korean soldiers

Follow-up - Al-Wasat Iraqi newspaper

South Korea has demanded an official apology from Ukraine after Kyiv denied the existence of an agreement between the two sides to keep secret the transfer to South Korea of two North Korean soldiers who were captured while fighting alongside Russian forces.

The dispute arose after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the United Nations General Assembly that his country had transferred two North Korean soldiers to South Korea, saying that "their capture alive was not an easy matter."

The escalation of the dispute between the two sides threatens to complicate Kyiv's efforts to obtain weapons from its allies, including South Korea, to counter Russian attacks.

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung responded to Zelensky in a post on X, asking, "I do not know why the Ukrainian side violated the agreement and disclosed the matter publicly," expressing "his disappointment."

By contrast, Zelensky's aide Dmytro Lytvyn commented that Ukraine is "an open country," expressing surprise that the two soldiers were handed over in secret.

He added to reporters, "We only disclosed the fact that they were sent to the Republic of Korea, although the story is long and detailed."

But Seoul considered the move a breach of trust between the two countries.

Song Gi-hong, South Korea's senior presidential secretary for media affairs, said in a statement that "the Ukrainian side's violation of the confidentiality agreement between the two countries and its unilateral disclosure of the information is, in itself, an extremely serious matter."

He added that "the incorrect claim issued by the press office of the Ukrainian presidency that no confidentiality agreement exists seriously undermines the trust between the two governments and inflicts grave damage on the friendly relations between them."

He confirmed that the South Korean presidency is demanding "two official clarifications," adding that Seoul is considering "additional measures that may be necessary" in this regard, without disclosing their nature.

Ukraine had captured, in early last year, two North Korean soldiers who had been fighting within units Pyongyang deployed to support Russian forces in the war.

One of the soldiers said he served in a reconnaissance unit, and that some North Korean soldiers received training on the use of Russian military equipment, adding that he was conscripted into the army at the age of 17 and had remained in service since then.

A South Korean official previously said that the two soldiers had expressed their desire to live a "normal life" in South Korea.

Under the South Korean constitution, all Koreans, including residents of North Korea, are regarded as South Korean citizens.