South Korea has formally protested Ukraine’s disclosure of a secret transfer involving two North Korean prisoners of war, a move that has sparked a rare public rift between the two partners. The dispute centers on whether Kyiv violated a confidentiality agreement when President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed the soldiers’ presence in South Korea during his address to the 81st UN General Assembly.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry summoned Ukraine’s charge d’affaires, Andrii Vieshkin, on September 28, 2026, to demand an official apology. During the meeting, First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo conveyed a “stern stance,” according to South Korean officials, characterizing Ukraine’s subsequent denial of a secrecy pact as false. The diplomatic friction highlights a growing “wedge” in the coalition against North Korean-Russian military cooperation, as Seoul and Kyiv grapple with competing strategic priorities.
Conflicting Accounts of Secrecy
The two North Korean soldiers were captured by Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region in January 2025. Following months of negotiations, they were transferred to Seoul in September 2026. South Korean officials maintain that the transfer was predicated on a “clear agreement” of nondisclosure, intended to protect the soldiers’ families in North Korea from state retaliation.
However, that secrecy was upended when President Zelenskyy publicly referenced the transfer at the UN. In the aftermath, Zelenskyy’s communications adviser, Dmytro Lytvyn, officially denied that any confidentiality pact had been made.
According to SBS News, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung expressed “strong regret” over the disclosure in a social media post on September 24, 2026, signaling the high-level frustration within the administration over the breach of protocol.
Strained Cooperation Amid Military Shifts
The dispute arrives at a sensitive moment for bilateral relations. While both nations oppose the deepening military ties between Moscow and Pyongyang, their methods and immediate goals have begun to diverge. South Korea estimates that North Korea has deployed between 14,000 and 15,000 troops to support Russia’s war effort since 2024, a development that has heightened Seoul’s security concerns.
Despite this shared threat, Kyiv has grown increasingly frustrated with Seoul’s refusal to provide lethal weaponry, such as Patriot missile systems, which Ukraine has repeatedly requested. This tension is exacerbated by South Korea’s continued economic engagement with Russia. In July 2026, South Korea exported 30,000 metric tonnes of refined fuel to Russia, a move that reportedly caused significant irritation in the Ukrainian government.
Analysis suggests that Ukraine’s decision to disclose the POW transfer may have been an attempt to secure a public diplomatic “win” or to pressure Seoul into a more aggressive stance against Moscow. Conversely, the South Korean government faces internal political pressure to maintain a cautious approach that balances its security alliance with the U.S. against its complex economic interests and the safety of North Korean defectors.
As of late September 2026, the legal status of the two North Korean soldiers in South Korea remains under review, while the diplomatic fallout continues to test the limits of Seoul and Kyiv’s coordinated response to the Russia-North Korea axis.
