South Korea warns ‘further measures’ if Ukraine refuses public apology

Ukraine is working to heal a spat with South Korea over Kyiv’s publicly announced transfer of two North Korean servicemen taken prisoner in the war against Russia, Ukrainian media reported on Thursday quoting Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed while he was addressing the U.N. General Assembly last week that the prisoners had been sent to South Korea, angering Seoul which expected the transfer to remain secret.

“I would not like to call this an incident. Let’s say, it’s a diplomatic misunderstanding,” Sybiha told journalists at an event, according to a report in news website nv.ua and other media.

“I really hope that this situation will be resolved in the very near future and we are working on it. For us, South Korea is an important country. And I really hope for momentum, continuation, and concrete results that we are truly achieving with them.”

South Korea’s presidential office this week demanded an explanation and apology from Ukraine for disclosing the transfer, and said Ukraine had also falsely denied that the two sides had agreed to keep the move confidential.

South Korea had sought to keep the transfer confidential given security, diplomatic and humanitarian concerns, including the safety of the prisoners and their families, a senior official in Seoul said.

Ukraine captured the two North Koreans in January 2025, the first soldiers to be captured alive since Pyongyang entered the war in 2024, assisting Russia.

North Korea has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Russia, including a mutual defense pact, and dispatched an estimated 14,000 troops to help Moscow evict Ukrainian troops from its Kursk region.

Zelenskyy this week said more than 8,000 North Korean troops remained in Russia and 10,000 were being trained for a future deployment.