Authored by Guy Birchall via The Epoch Times,
The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Ukraine's acting ambassador to the country on Sept. 28 to convey Seoul's displeasure over Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's revelation that two North Korean prisoners of war had been transferred to South Korea.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Seoul, South Korea, on June 8, 2026. Chung Sung-Jun/Getty ImagesSouth Korean First Vice Minister Park Yun-ju told acting Ukrainian Ambassador Andriy Beshkin that despite a clear agreement to keep the repatriation confidential, Kyiv unilaterally revealed the move during Zelenskyy's speech to the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) last week, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap.
The ministry further expressed strong regret over the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office's denial of the existence of the private agreement and has demanded an official explanation and apology from Kyiv, saying such actions seriously undermine trust between the two governments.
The Epoch Times contacted the South Korean and Ukrainian foreign ministries for comment but did not receive responses by publication time.
Zelenskyy revealed that the North Korean prisoners had been transferred to South Korea during his address to the UNGA on Sept. 23.
"Recently, we sent two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea," Zelenskyy said in his address to the United Nations.
"These guys a
