President Lee Jae Myung said President Volodymyr Zelensky violated an agreement to keep the matter confidential by revealing the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea at the UN General Assembly.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung addresses the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Sept. 22.
AP/YONHAP
MEXICO CITY — President Lee Jae Myung said Thursday it is “deeply regrettable” that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed that Kyiv recently sent two North Korean soldiers captured by its forces to South Korea despite an agreement to keep the matter confidential.
“While I do not know the circumstances behind the Ukrainian side’s decision to disclose the information in violation of the agreement to confidentiality, it is deeply regrettable,” Lee wrote in an X post, while on a visit to Mexico. “The issue of repatriation of North Korean prisoners is a highly sensitive matter with significant implications for diplomacy, national security and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.”
During his address at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, Zelensky revealed that his country recently sent two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea. The soldiers were captured in Russia’s Kursk region in 2025. Zelensky noted that one of the prisoners even had tried to kill himself. He also criticized North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for deploying troops to fight for Russia in the war against Ukraine.
The Ukrainian presidential office also later said the transfer of the two North Korean prisoners to South Korea was carried out through direct communication with Seoul.
“Considering the various issues that could arise from making the information public, keeping it confidential was the reasonable course of action in every respect, and that was the agreement reached,” Lee wrote on X.
Lee rebutted criticism from South Korea’s conservative opposition regarding the government’s decision not to disclose the repatriation, stating the decision to keep the matter private that was both “valid and justified.”
“For those who would have trumpeted the news of the repatriation to the world, celebrating and seeking credit without regard for the state of inter-Korean relations, the loss of life, or damage to the national interest, our government’s decision to keep the matter private is likely incomprehensible,” Lee wrote. “However, when one considers vital interests such as human lives and national security, such a reckless and cruel approach is simply unacceptable.”
“As this is a sensitive matter concerning the personal safety of the individuals involved and their families, we ask for your understanding regarding our inability to confirm details such as the handling of specific individuals, the timing or routes involved, or the specifics of consultations between the two countries,” a Blue House official said in a statement Thursday regarding Zelensky’s speech.
An official from Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said that South Korea has “communicated and consulted with Ukraine and other relevant countries and organizations” on the North Korean prisoners.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Sept. 23.
AP/YONHAP
On Tuesday, Lee gave an address at the UN General Assembly where he shared his three-point blueprint for peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula through building mutual respect, rendering conflict unnecessary and responsibly contributing to world peace.
He urged for the long-suspended dialogue between North Korea and the United States to “resume without delay,” noting that U.S. President Donald Trump’s resolve to meet with North Korea’s Kim has “created a hard-won opportunity for change.”
Lee called for a phased approach to denuclearization and pledged to lay the groundwork for dialogue among related parties “aimed at ending the war on the Korean Peninsula and transitioning to a peace regime.”
BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]