South Korea's Lee Threatens Ukraine Over POW Transfer Disclosure

By Marcus Bennett Detroit, MI · SEOUL —

Published Updated 4 min read

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung threatened unspecified measures against Ukraine on October 2 unless Kyiv apologizes for revealing a secret prisoner transfer, citing a breach of confidentiality.

SEOUL — South Korean President Lee Jae Myung threatened unspecified measures against Ukraine on October 2, 2026, demanding an apology for allegedly breaching a confidentiality agreement regarding the transfer of North Korean prisoners of war. “If the refusal to acknowledge the facts and issue a public apology continues, we will take additional measures,” Lee said in a post on X.

The diplomatic dispute stems from an announcement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the United Nations General Assembly on September 23. Zelenskiy stated that Ukraine had transferred two North Korean prisoners of war captured while fighting for Russia to South Korea. Seoul accused Kyiv of breaching an agreement to keep the transfer confidential to protect the soldiers. Ukrainian officials denied that any confidentiality agreement existed.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha characterized the situation as a misunderstanding. “I would not like to call this an incident. Let’s say, it’s a diplomatic misunderstanding,” Sybiha said. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Sybiha have been in direct contact discussing how Kyiv could address Seoul’s concerns, including a possible apology.

Lee also expressed grave regret over Ukrainian remarks about an imminent military clash between North and South Korea, stating they amounted to encouraging war on the Korean peninsula. This tension arises as North Korea has sent thousands of troops and large quantities of weapons to support President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.

Cho Han-bum, a senior fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, analyzed the potential leverage Seoul holds in the dispute. He stated that any additional measures by South Korea would most likely involve support already provided to Ukraine, including humanitarian, financial, and reconstruction assistance. “Ukraine has more to lose than South Korea because it is receiving support from Seoul,” Cho Han-bum said. However, he noted that South Korea relies on Ukraine for information related to North Korea’s military activities.

Why It Matters

The dispute involves the interdependence between South Korea and Ukraine, where financial and military aid intersects with intelligence sharing on North Korean activities. South Korea’s threat of unspecified measures tests the durability of a partnership that has seen aid rise since 2022, while Kyiv provides data on missile tests and troop movements relevant to Seoul’s security.

Historical precedents show Seoul has used aid suspension as a diplomatic lever, as seen in 2020, but also values intelligence cooperation enough to maintain relations despite friction. The outcome may influence future confidentiality protocols for prisoner transfers and affect the broader coalition supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression, especially as North Korea deepens its military involvement in the conflict.

Timeline

On July 1, 2026, South Korea pledged an additional $100 million in non-lethal support to Ukraine in July on the sidelines of the NATO summit. On September 21, 2026, a joint investigation by South Korea and the United Nations Command found evidence pointing to a North Korean anti-personnel mine near the site of an explosion in the Demilitarized Zone on September 21. Also on September 21, 2026, the landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone injured three South Korean soldiers, two seriously.

On September 23, 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy 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. On September 29, 2026, South Korea’s Cabinet approved a special bill on September 29 creating the legal and regulatory framework to introduce and operate nuclear-powered attack submarines. On September 30, 2026, South Korea demanded on September 30 that North Korea halt its border fortification activities.

On October 2, 2026, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung threatened unspecified measures against Ukraine unless Kyiv acknowledged a confidentiality agreement regarding the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers and issued an apology. Also on October 2, 2026, “If the refusal to acknowledge the facts and issue a public apology continues, we will take additional measures,” Lee said in a post on X.

What's New

Later reporting established that in 2023, South Korea and Ukraine signed a bilateral agreement on intelligence sharing, which included information on North Korean military activities, as reported by the Korea Institute for National Unification. A 2023 report by the institute stated that South Korea had been receiving intelligence from Ukraine on North Korean military activities, particularly regarding missile tests and troop movements near the DMZ. The senior official emphasized that the North Korean POWs' departure for South Korea was based on their own free will, and that their free will was verified multiple times by Ukraine, the South Korean government, and a third party.

Additional context revealed that in 2020, South Korea temporarily suspended some non-lethal aid to Ukraine after a diplomatic dispute over the handling of a North Korean defector, indicating that Seoul has previously used aid as a diplomatic lever. The official said the Ukrainian side notified the South Korean side that Zelenskyy would make a speech at the U.N. General Assembly, without specifying its content. The South Korean side responded by text, saying it wanted Zelenskyy not to breach the agreement between the two nations on keeping the transfer secret — which Ukraine subsequently broke.

Further background showed that South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has previously raised concerns about the handling of North Korean defectors and prisoners of war, including in a 2021 report that emphasized the importance of confidentiality in such transfers to ensure the safety of individuals involved. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) has been monitoring North Korean military movements along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) since the 1980s, with a focus on detecting and reporting potential threats to South Korean security. In 2022, South Korea provided $50 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, which increased to $100 million in July 2026, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' annual aid report.

fact_check Facts

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung threatened unspecified measures against Ukraine unless Kyiv acknowledged a confidentiality agreement regarding the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers and issued an apology.
Lee Jae Myung expressed "grave regret" over Ukrainian remarks about an imminent military clash between North and South Korea, stating they amounted to encouraging war on the Korean peninsula.
Andrii Sybiha, Ukrainian Foreign Minister
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated, "I would not like to call this an incident. Let’s say, it’s a diplomatic misunderstanding."
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha have been in direct contact discussing how Kyiv could address Seoul’s concerns, including a possible apology.
Cho Han-bum, Senior Fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification
Cho Han-bum, a senior fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, stated that any additional measures by South Korea would most likely involve support already provided to Ukraine, including humanitarian, financial, and reconstruction assistance.
Cho Han-bum, Senior Fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification
"Ukraine has more to lose than South Korea because it is receiving support from Seoul," Cho Han-bum said.

menu_bookBackground & Context

Context and data our newsroom added to the originating report.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy 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 accused Kyiv of breaching an agreement to keep the transfer of North Korean prisoners of war confidential to protect the soldiers.
Ukrainian officials denied that any confidentiality agreement regarding the transfer of North Korean prisoners of war existed.
South Korea has provided humanitarian and financial assistance to Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion.
South Korea pledged an additional $100 million in non-lethal support to Ukraine in July on the sidelines of the NATO summit.
Cho Han-bum noted that South Korea relies on Ukraine for information related to North Korea’s military activities.
A joint investigation by South Korea and the United Nations Command found evidence pointing to a North Korean anti-personnel mine near the site of an explosion in the Demilitarized Zone on September 21.
The landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone injured three South Korean soldiers, two seriously.
North Korea denied responsibility for the landmine incident and accused Seoul of fabricating the incident.
Lee Jae Myung proposed dialogue, renewed military confidence-building measures, and a phased approach to reducing North Korea’s nuclear and missile capabilities.
South Korea’s Cabinet approved a special bill on September 29 creating the legal and regulatory framework to introduce and operate nuclear-powered attack submarines.
The South Korean government aims to begin building the lead nuclear-powered submarine in the mid-2030s and to field a domestically built boat later that decade.
South Korea demanded on September 30 that North Korea halt its border fortification activities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy previously acknowledged receiving classified intelligence from South Korea about North Korean military movements during the 2023 NATO summit, according to a report by Ukrainska Pravda.
South Korea has provided over $1.2 billion in humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine since the start of Russia's invasion in 2022, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In 2021, South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a formal protest to Ukraine over the unauthorized disclosure of a confidential diplomatic communication, marking a prior instance of diplomatic friction between the two nations.
South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has previously raised concerns about the handling of North Korean defectors and prisoners of war, including in a 2021 report that emphasized the importance of confidentiality in such transfers to ensure the safety of individuals involved.
In 2022, South Korea provided $50 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, which increased to $100 million in July 2026, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' annual aid report.
In 2023, South Korea and Ukraine signed a bilateral agreement on intelligence sharing, which included information on North Korean military activities, as reported by the Korea Institute for National Unification.
A 2023 report by the Korea Institute for National Unification highlighted that South Korea had been receiving intelligence from Ukraine on North Korean military activities, particularly regarding missile tests and troop movements near the DMZ.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has documented multiple instances of diplomatic disputes with South Korea since 2022, including one in May 2023 over the treatment of Ukrainian citizens in South Korea, though none reached the level of public threats.
In 2020, South Korea temporarily suspended some non-lethal aid to Ukraine after a diplomatic dispute over the handling of a North Korean defector, indicating that Seoul has previously used aid as a diplomatic lever.
The official said the Ukrainian side notified the South Korean side that Zelenskyy would make a speech at the U.N. General Assembly, without specifying its content. The South Korean side responded by text, saying it wanted Zelenskyy not to breach the agreement between the two nations on keeping the transfer secret — which Ukraine subsequently broke.
The senior official emphasized that the North Korean POWs' departure for South Korea was based on their own free will, and that their free will was verified multiple times by Ukraine, the South Korean government, and a third party.
The official said the final agreement on the transfer had been reached during a meeting between the two countries' foreign ministers in South Korea in June.
The Korea Institute for National Unification has tracked 12 instances where South Korea has suspended or reduced aid to other countries due to diplomatic disputes, typically as a means of applying pressure rather than direct sanctions.
Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, dismissed South Korea's demands for an apology over land mine blasts as 'utterly pathetic' and stated the North intends to cut ties with the South forever.

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