OMM Redaksiyası
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has accused Ukraine of undermining him and called on Kyiv to acknowledge an agreement and apologise over the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul. AFP and Reuters reported on Friday, October 2, 2026.
Lee said remarks by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the United Nations appeared to disclose a previously undisclosed arrangement. He also warned that Zelenskyy’s comments about an imminent military clash between North and South Korea risked invoking war on the Korean Peninsula.
Seoul says transfer had been discussed confidentially
In a social media post, Lee said the matter concerned the honour of South Korea’s people and nation and could not be overlooked. He also expressed regret over Ukraine’s response and called for an explanation and an apology.
Senior presidential secretary Seong Ghi-hong said Ukraine had repeatedly discussed the prisoners’ transfer with Seoul through various channels and had requested that it remain secret. Kyiv, however, has said there was no secrecy agreement.
Zelenskyy said at the UN General Assembly that Kyiv had transferred the two North Korean soldiers to South Korea after they were captured while fighting for Russia in the Kursk region.
Ukraine calls dispute a diplomatic misunderstanding
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha sought to ease tensions in an interview published on Thursday by RBC-Ukraine and other Ukrainian outlets. He said he would not call the matter an incident, describing it instead as a “diplomatic misunderstanding”.
“South Korea is an important country for us. And I very much hope for momentum, continued cooperation, and concrete results that we are indeed achieving with them,” Sybiha said.
The dispute involves two states aligned with the United States and could complicate efforts to build a united international front to contain Russia, China and North Korea.
