S.Korea summons Ukrainian envoy, demands apology for revealing transfer of N.Korean prisoners

South Korea summoned Ukraine's top envoy in Seoul on Monday and demanded an official explanation and apology over Kyiv's disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to the country, according to SBS World.

First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo summoned Andrii Vieshkin, Ukraine's charge d'affaires, to the Foreign Ministry and conveyed Seoul's "stern position" over the disclosure, the broadcaster reported, citing the ministry.

Park expressed "deep regret," saying Ukraine had unilaterally revealed the transfer at the UN General Assembly despite what Seoul described as a bilateral nondisclosure agreement.

Seoul also rejected a subsequent statement from the Ukrainian presidential office denying the existence of such an agreement, calling it "false publicity" containing "untrue statements" that seriously undermined trust between the two governments.

Park demanded an official explanation, an apology from the Ukrainian government, and measures to prevent a recurrence.

Vieshkin said he would accurately convey Seoul's position to Kyiv, according to the report.

President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's disclosure, describing the transfer as an "extremely sensitive" matter affecting diplomacy, national security, and the Korean Peninsula.

Zelenskyy announced Wednesday that Ukraine had transferred two North Korean soldiers, captured while fighting alongside Russian forces, to South Korea.

The soldiers were captured in Russia's Kursk region in early 2025 after being deployed to support Russian forces against Ukrainian troops.

Lee and Zelenskyy had agreed in July to handle the issue on humanitarian grounds while respecting the soldiers' wishes.