Ukraine sent two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea, Zelenskyy says
Zelenskyy said the men wanted to defect, while Seoul called the disclosure a breach of a confidentiality agreement and a risk to diplomacy.
- On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced at the United Nations General Assembly that Ukraine transferred two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea after capturing them in the Kursk region.
- Captured by Ukrainian forces in early 2025, the two men were the first North Korean soldiers apprehended alive since Pyongyang began supporting Moscow's war effort in 2024.
- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung criticized the disclosure on Thursday, calling it "deeply regretful" as Zelensky violated a non-disclosure agreement protecting the soldiers and their families.
- Opposition lawmakers chastised the Lee administration for allowing a foreign leader to reveal the arrival, while Lee defended the confidentiality agreement as necessary for national security.
- Intelligence agencies are protecting the former combatants, who now face an extensive resettlement program as South Korea navigates the sensitive diplomatic and security implications of their arrival.
244 Articles
244 Articles
"Behind It Is Simple Fear: North Korean Prisoners of War Ask Ukraine to Be Extradited to South Korea
On Wednesday it became known that Ukraine handed over two North Korean prisoners of war who fought for Russia to South Korea. What is known about the case.
Two North Korean soldiers were captured by Ukrainians and now taken to South Korea. But that should have remained secret – now there is trouble between Kyyiv and Seoul.
Ukraine's transfer of North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea sparked a diplomatic row when President Zelensky publicly disclosed the matter. South Korea accused Ukraine of violating secrecy agreements and demanded an apology, while also believing that Ukraine's move was intended to garner South Korean public opinion in order to circumvent restrictions on military aid.
South Korea says Zelenskyy's revelation of a secret POW transfer was likely a play for more support
South Korea’s spy agency says Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's recent disclosure of a secret transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea was likely intended to gain public support for Ukraine. Zelenskyy revealed the transfer during a…
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