Seoul, Sep 28 (IANS) South Korea’s Foreign Ministry on Monday called in Andrii Vieshkin, acting Ambassador of Ukraine to South Korea, following Kyiv’s revelation of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (PoWs) to Seoul.
First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo conveyed Seoul’s stern stance on the issue to Vieshkin, the Ministry said in a statement.
Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky disclosed during a United Nations address that Ukraine has sent the two North Korean soldiers captured last year to South Korea, Yonhap News Agency reported.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and his office have since said Ukraine breached a nondisclosure agreement aimed at keeping the transfer a secret to safeguard the soldiers from dangers they could face if their transfer were to be disclosed, citing international law and humanitarian principles.
Soon after, Ukrainian media outlets reported a Ukrainian presidential source as denying the existence of a confidentiality agreement with Seoul.
Park expressed strong concern over Ukraine’s denial of the confidentiality agreement with South Korea, saying such an action gravely damages mutual trust and affects the friendly ties of the two countries, the ministry said.
The Vice Minister called for Ukraine’s official clarification and apology over its move, to which the Ukrainian envoy said he will accurately report on Seoul’s stance to Kyiv, it added.
The move by the foreign ministry comes a day after Cheong Wa Dae also expressed “strong regret” over Ukraine’s action.
In June, Seoul’s foreign ministry said that South Korea and Ukraine agreed to work toward resolving the issue of North Korean PoWs captured in Ukraine in accordance with international law and humanitarian principles.
The consensus was made during a meeting between Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, in Seoul earlier in the day, according to the ministry.
Two North Korean soldiers were captured by Ukrainian forces in early 2025 after being deployed to Russia’s Kursk region in support of Moscow, and they have reportedly expressed their desire to come to South Korea.
–IANS
ksk/as