South Korea's presidential office has demanded an official explanation and apology from Ukraine after Kyiv publicly disclosed the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul — and then denied that any confidentiality agreement had existed. The dispute erupted after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed during a speech at the United Nations General Assembly last week that Ukraine had sent two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea, describing them as "not easy to capture alive." Seoul says this announcement violated a bilateral nondisclosure agreement that both sides had explicitly agreed upon.

The two soldiers were captured in January 2025 in Ukraine's Kursk region — a Russian border oblast where Ukrainian forces had launched a cross-border incursion — while fighting alongside Russian units. They were the first North Korean soldiers to be taken alive since Pyongyang began deploying troops in support of Moscow's war effort in 2024. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung wrote on X shortly after Zelenskyy's UN address that it was "very disappointing" that Ukraine had broken the agreement, adding that he did not understand why Kyiv had chosen to make the matter public. Under South Korea's constitution, all Koreans — including citizens of the North — are legally considered South Korean nationals, meaning the two soldiers are entitled to residency there. A South Korean lawmaker had previously said the pair wished to live a "normal life" in the South.

The crisis deepened when a Ukrainian presidential aide, Dmytro Lytvyn, told journalists that Ukraine is "an open country" and suggested it would have been strange to hand over the soldiers in secret, adding that Ukraine had only disclosed the basic fact of the transfer and nothing more. Ukrainian media then cited a presidential source flatly denying that any confidentiality agreement had been reached with Seoul. South Korea's senior presidential secretary for public affairs, Seong Ghi-hong, called that denial a "false statement" that "seriously undermines trust between the two governments and gravely damages friendly relations." Seoul has said it was Ukraine itself that originally requested confidentiality, fearing domestic criticism over forgoing the opportunity to exchange the North Korean soldiers for Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia.

The timing of the episode is diplomatically sensitive. South Korea is currently pursuing efforts to revive dialogue with North Korea, and any public association with the transfer of Pyongyang's soldiers risks complicating those overtures. Seoul agreed to keep the arrangement secret not only because of Ukraine's concerns but also on humanitarian and security grounds — including the safety of the two soldiers and their families in North Korea. The presidential office warned it is "considering additional measures" in response to the dispute, without specifying what those might entail. Seong also cautioned against domestic actors politicising what he called a "sensitive security issue," saying this would damage South Korea's national interest.