South Korean President Threatens Action Against Ukraine Over North Korean Soldiers

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday threatened unspecified measures against Ukraine unless Kyiv acknowledged a confidentiality agreement that Seoul says covered the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers and issued an apology.

"If the refusal to acknowledge the facts and issue a public apology continues, we will take ​additional measures," Lee stated in a post on X.

Lee also expressed "grave regret" over remarks attributed to Ukrainian officials about an imminent military clash between North and South Korea, which he described as encouraging war on the Korean peninsula.

The diplomatic dispute between Seoul and Kyiv began last month when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced at the United Nations General Assembly that Ukraine had transferred two North Korean prisoners of war, captured while fighting for Russia, to South Korea.

Seoul subsequently accused Kyiv of breaching an agreement to keep the transfer confidential to protect the soldiers, while Ukrainian officials denied such an agreement existed.

Kyiv's embassy in Seoul did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Lee's remarks.

Ukraine Seeks to Mend Ties

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha was quoted by Ukrainian media as stating that Kyiv was seeking to mend ties with South Korea. "I would not like to call this an incident. Let’s say, it’s a diplomatic misunderstanding," Sybiha told journalists.

A senior South Korean Foreign Ministry official indicated that the foreign ministers of both nations had been discussing how Kyiv could address Seoul's concerns, including a potential apology. According to South Korean media reports, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Sybiha were in direct contact to determine the level of response Seoul sought and what Ukraine could accept, considering Ukraine's wartime circumstances and the need to avoid either side losing face.

The dispute arises at a sensitive time for Lee's administration, which has been working to reduce tensions with North Korea and is also managing the political fallout from a recent landmine incident in the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas.

Cho Han-bum, a senior fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul, suggested that any additional measures from South Korea would likely involve existing support for Ukraine, such as humanitarian, financial, and reconstruction assistance.

"Ukraine has more to lose than South Korea because it is receiving support from Seoul," Cho observed. South Korea has provided humanitarian and financial aid to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, pledging an additional $100 million in non-lethal support in July.

Cho added, "However, neither side benefits from a prolonged confrontation," noting that South Korea relies on Ukraine for intelligence regarding North Korea's military activities.