Ukraine is working to resolve a diplomatic dispute with South Korea after Kyiv publicly disclosed the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Thursday, 1 October.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed the transfer during his address to the UN General Assembly last week, angering Seoul, which said it had expected the move to remain confidential.
“I would not like to call this an incident. Let's say, it's a diplomatic misunderstanding,” Sybiha told journalists at an event, according to Ukrainian media.
He said Ukraine hoped the issue would be resolved soon and stressed the importance of its relationship with South Korea.
“For us, South Korea is an important country,” Sybiha said, adding that Kyiv wanted to maintain momentum and achieve further concrete results in bilateral ties.
South Korea had demanded an explanation and apology from Ukraine, saying the two countries agreed to keep the transfer confidential because of security, diplomatic and humanitarian concerns.
Seoul also accused Kyiv of falsely denying that such a confidentiality agreement existed. South Korea's foreign ministry summoned Ukraine's acting ambassador on 28 September and expressed concern that the disclosure could undermine trust between the two governments.
Kyiv has disputed Seoul's account of the confidentiality arrangement, with Ukrainian officials saying there had been an understanding about the transfer's public disclosure.
The two North Korean soldiers were captured by Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk region in January 2025 after being deployed alongside Russian forces. They were the first North Korean soldiers captured alive since Pyongyang entered the war on Russia's side in 2024.
North Korea has since sent an estimated 14,000 to 15,000 troops to support Russia, according to Ukrainian and South Korean estimates. Zelenskyy said this week that more than 8,000 North Korean troops remained in Russia and another 10,000 were being prepared for deployment.
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