Zelensky breaches confidentiality agreement by disclosing transfer of North Korean POWs, South Korea says
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Ukraine violated a non-disclosure agreement by revealing the transfer of captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Sept. 24.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made the disclosure during a speech to the United Nations on Sept. 23, revealing Ukraine had recently "sent two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea" and that one of them had tried to kill himself after being captured.
In a statement posted on social media, Lee expressed regret that Zelensky had disclosed the transfer, saying it violated an agreement between Ukraine and South Korea.
"It was appropriate in every aspect not to disclose, considering the many problems it may cause when disclosed, and (we) had agreed to do so," Lee said.
"The issue of repatriating North Korean prisoners of war is a highly sensitive agenda that significantly impacts diplomacy, national security and the situation on the Korean Peninsula," Lee added.
In a comment to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, the Ukrainian Presidential Office said Ukraine had only disclosed the existence of the transfer of the North Korean prisoners to South Korea, without disclosing the "long details" of the process.
The Presidential Office also said it would have been "strange" to keep the entire transfer a secret.
Ukraine captured two North Korean soldiers in early 2025 after they were deployed to Russia’s Kursk Oblast to fight alongside Russian forces. Both soldiers had expressed a desire to defect to South Korea rather than return to North Korea.
In June, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said it would accept North Korean POWs captured by Ukraine if they wished to resettle in the country.
North Korea has become one of Moscow's closest allies since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It is the only country to have officially sent troops to support Russia's war, while also supplying large quantities of military equipment, including ballistic missiles, artillery shells, and rocket launchers.
In April, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un opened a museum honoring North Korean soldiers who fought alongside Russian forces in the war against Ukraine. According to U.S. intelligence estimates, more than 12,000 North Korean troops have fought in Russia and Ukraine alongside Kremlin forces.
