Seoul Threatens Action Unless Ukraine Apologizes Over Prisoner Transfer

South Korea on Friday threatened further action against Ukraine unless Kyiv apologizes for disclosing the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers and recognizes a confidentiality agreement that Ukrainian officials deny existed.

President Lee Jae Myung issued the warning, escalating a dispute over prisoners captured while fighting for Russia.

Seoul says secrecy was necessary to protect the two men.

“If the refusal to acknowledge the facts and issue a public apology continues, we will take additional measures,” Lee wrote on X.

He did not identify the measures under consideration.

Disputed Confidentiality Agreement

The confrontation followed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s announcement at last month’s United Nations General Assembly that the prisoners had been transferred to South Korea.

Seoul accused Kyiv of violating an agreement to withhold that information.

Ukrainian officials rejected the assertion that any such agreement had been reached.

Lee also criticized Ukrainian remarks about an imminent military confrontation between the two Koreas.

He expressed “grave regret” and characterized the comments as encouraging war on the peninsula.

Ministers Discuss Possible Apology

Foreign ministers are working to resolve the disagreement, even as Lee increases public pressure on Kyiv.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha sought to play down the confrontation in comments reported on Thursday by nv.ua and other Ukrainian outlets.

“I would not like to call this an incident. Let’s say, it’s a diplomatic misunderstanding,” he told journalists.

South Korean media reported on Friday that Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Sybiha had been communicating directly about a response to Seoul’s concerns, including a possible apology.

According to those reports, discussions centered on reconciling Seoul’s demands with what Kyiv could accept, while accounting for Ukraine’s wartime circumstances and avoiding a loss of face for either government.

Assistance Could Be Affected

Cho Han-bum, a senior fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said any further measures would most likely concern South Korea’s humanitarian, financial or reconstruction assistance to Ukraine.

That remains an analyst’s assessment. Lee has not announced restrictions on assistance.

South Korea has supplied humanitarian and financial support since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.

In July, it committed another $100 million in non-lethal assistance alongside the NATO summit.

Cho said Ukraine had more at stake because it receives South Korean support, while Seoul also depends on Kyiv for information about North Korean military activities.

The dispute adds pressure on Lee’s administration as it seeks to ease tensions with Pyongyang and manages the political repercussions of a recent landmine incident in the Demilitarized Zone.