Seoul Calls Out Zelensky for Admitting North Korean POWs Sent to South Korea

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for publicly revealing that Kyiv had transferred two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea. Writing on X on Thursday during a visit to Mexico, Lee said that going public could lead to numerous unspecified problems.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The two North Koreans had been captured, as part of several thousand of their compatriots fighting for Russia, in the Kursk region, with Zelensky announcing their capture in January 2025. The social media post came a day after Zelensky used his speech to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York to confirm that Ukraine had sent the two unnamed North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) to South Korea. Lee accused Ukraine of breaching a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) put in place over the transfer. “The repatriation of North Korean prisoners is an extremely sensitive issue with serious implications for diplomacy, national security and the situation on the Korean Peninsula,” he said. “It was appropriate in every aspect not to disclose, considering many problems it may cause when disclosed, and [we] had agreed to do so,” he added. “Deeply regrettable” Lee mentioned that there had been calls from within the South Korean government and opposition to release information about the return of the two soldiers. While he acknowledged that the news would have helped boost his approval ratings, he strongly refused, calling it “a reckless and cruel approach” whose risks outweigh the benefits. Other Topics of Interest ‘No Other Choice’: Zelensky Warns Russia of Winter Strikes Kyiv will retaliate against Russian energy facilities if Moscow continues attacking Ukraine’s power grid and heating systems. “For those who would have trumpeted the news of the repatriation to the world – dancing and celebrating to claim credit – without regard for the state of inter-Korean relations, the loss of life, or damage to the national interest, our government made a decision to keep the matter private,” he said. “I do not know the specific circumstances that prompted the Ukrainian side to breach the agreement and make the information public, but this is deeply regrettable,” he added. Ukraine’s response Kyiv countered by saying that Seoul was informed of the speech in advance. In responding to queries from the South Korean media, an unnamed presidential official said that Ukraine had informed Seoul in advance of Zelensky’s intention to disclose the transfer in his speech. The official said the announcement was simply a statement of fact that the repatriation had occurred, without releasing details of how or when it took place. He added that it would have been strange to have kept the event secret, particularly as shortly after Zelensky’s address to the UN, Lee’s office confirmed that the handover had taken place following direct dialogue between Kyiv and Seoul. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.