Key facts
- Ukraine transferred two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea.
- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung stated Ukraine breached a non-disclosure agreement by publicly announcing the transfer.
- The transfer of North Korean POWs is a highly sensitive agenda impacting diplomacy, national security, and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
South Korea expressed regret over Ukraine's public announcement of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war, stating that the disclosure breached a non-disclosure agreement. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had announced the transfer during a speech to the United Nations on September 23, revealing that 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. President Lee Jae Myung said in a statement posted on social media that it was appropriate not to disclose the transfer, considering the many problems it may cause. He added that 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. The Ukrainian Presidential Office told Yonhap News Agency that Ukraine had only disclosed the existence of the transfer without disclosing the "long details" of the process, and that 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. North Korea has become one of Moscow's closest allies since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, officially sending troops to support Russia's war and supplying military equipment. In April, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un opened a museum honoring North Korean soldiers who fought alongside Russian forces.