South Korea has expressed “strong regret” over Ukraine’s public disclosure of the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers to Seoul, saying the two countries had agreed not to disclose the arrangement.
South Korea’s presidential office said on Sunday that Ukraine later denied there had been a non-disclosure agreement over the transfer.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced the transfer during his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday.
Zelenskiy said the two North Korean soldiers had been captured while fighting alongside Russian forces in the war against Ukraine and had recently been transferred to South Korea.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung subsequently said it was “deeply regretful” that Ukraine had made the transfer public, adding that both sides had agreed to keep it confidential.
“The presidential office expresses strong regret over Ukraine’s unilateral disclosure (of the transfer) and its subsequent false announcement that there had not been a non-disclosure agreement,” senior presidential secretary for public relations Seong Ghi-hong said in a statement, according to Yonhap News Agency.
Seong added that the South Korean government was considering additional measures over the issue if necessary.
Ukraine captured the two North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk region in January 2025.
They were the first North Korean soldiers to be captured alive since Pyongyang became involved in the Russia-Ukraine war in 2024.
The transfer comes as South Korea backs efforts to revive dialogue with North Korea, while US President Donald Trump has again expressed willingness to engage with Pyongyang.
