Kyiv was first to request confidentiality in North Korean POW transfer, Seoul’s NIS says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the general debate of the UN General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York, US, on Sept. 23, 2026. (AFP/Yonhap)

South Korea’s intelligence agency said Wednesday that Ukraine had requested strict confidentiality from the outset of talks over the handover of North Korean prisoners of war.

“From the earliest stages of dialogue, the Ukrainian side proactively requested the maintenance of strict confidentiality,” the agency said. 

At a closed-door briefing to the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) said Seoul and Kyiv discussed the transfer based on the shared understanding from the initial consultation that the process must remain confidential. This was according to the committee’s vice chairpersons, Rep. Youn Kun-young of the ruling Democratic Party and Rep. Yoo Yeong-ha of the main opposition People Power Party.

Both lawmakers quoted the NIS as saying Ukraine made a preemptive request to Korea to keep the handover confidential given the potential impact of POW exchanges with Russia and the repercussions of such swaps involving prisoners from other countries. The spy agency also reportedly said that the two presidents did not make a secret deal or engage in secret consultations.

Following the briefing, however, the NIS said in a statement, “Whether the two heads of state reached an agreement remains unknown, but private consultations were held through various channels, including a phone call between the foreign ministers of the two sides and talks between the [Korean Embassy in Kyiv] and the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

Yoo quoted the NIS as saying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made his unilateral disclosure “in the hope of generating public support in [South] Korea for providing various forms of assistance such as weapons to the Ukrainian government.”

NIS Director Lee Jong-seok clarified that Ukraine “never set any conditions for the POW transfer and our government provided no aid in return for it.” As for the condition of the POWs, he said that they had entered South Korea in mid-September with no major health issues.

The agency also pegged the chances of a North Korea-US summit at 50%.

The two vice chairpersons said the NIS predicted that the meeting, if held, would probably take place around the time of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation event in November in Shenzhen, China, adding that Pyongyang appears determined to seize this opportunity.

“Given President Trump’s friendly overtures, North Korea is leaving the door open to progress in its relations with the US while repeatedly stressing its prerequisites for dialogue, such as recognition as a nuclear-armed state and termination of hostile policies,” the NIS said. “[Pyongyang] is showing its underlying intent not to disrupt the proceedings, refraining from directly criticizing or employing harsh rhetoric against President Trump.”

The spy agency added that its intelligence found that frontline officials handling US affairs at the North’s diplomatic missions abroad were “extremely busy.”

On Kim Ju-ae, the daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the NIS said she is solidifying her position as his heir apparent and that she is reportedly 160 cm tall and weighs over 50 kg.