Seoul Faults Zelensky Over POW Disclosure

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday for breaking a confidentiality agreement after Zelensky disclosed that Ukraine had transferred two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea.

Speaking before the United Nations, Zelensky revealed that Ukrainian forces had sent two captured North Korean soldiers to Seoul, noting that the troops were “not easy to capture alive.”

The public announcement triggered sharp criticism from South Korea’s political opposition, who condemned the Lee administration for allowing a foreign leader to reveal sensitive domestic security developments.

“I do not know why the Ukrainian side broke the agreement and made the matter public, but it is very disappointing,” Lee stated on X.

<국정은 국가와 국민을 위해 하는 것이지, 정권과 집권자의 이익이나 인기를 위해 해서는 안됩니다.

북한포로 국내송환 문제는 외교, 안보, 한반도 정세에 크게 영향을 미치는 매우 예민한 의제입니다.

남북관계가 어떻게 되든 누군가 죽어나가든 국익이 손상되든 게의치 않고,

성과를…

— 이재명 (@Jaemyung_Lee) September 24, 2026

He emphasised that transferring North Korean captives involves “a highly sensitive matter that could have a major impact on diplomacy, security and the situation on the Korean Peninsula,” confirming that both nations had previously agreed to maintain strict confidentiality.

In response, presidential aide Dmytro Lytvyn defended Kyiv’s actions, explaining that Ukraine operates as “an open country” and asserting that “from the entire story – which is long and detailed – we reported only the fact itself, that they were sent to the Republic of Korea.”

Ukrainian forces originally captured the two North Korean soldiers early last year after Pyongyang deployed troops to support Russia’s war effort.

South Korean constitutional law treats all North Koreans as citizens, automatically extending legal status to captured personnel, with lawmakers indicating the pair requested to build a “normal life” in the South.