Leftist South Korean President Lee Jae-myung published an infuriated message on social media on Friday accusing the government of Ukraine of making him appear to be a “liar” and threatening “additional measures” against the allied nation should its leadership not apologize to Seoul.
Lee was addressing an unresolved controversy prompted by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s address to the United Nations General Assembly in late September in which he addressed the ongoing North Korean campaign against his country. Zelensky revealed that his troops had captured North Korean soldiers on Russia’s behalf in the invasion of Ukraine and cemented an agreement with South Korea to send the soldiers there. The South Korean government, outraged, declared that the transfer was a secret – because Ukrainian officials demanded confidentiality from Seoul – and that Zelensky had not consulted Lee or anyone else in the South Korean government before violating the confidentiality agreement.
South Korean media subsequently reported that Ukrainian officials denied that any such a confidentiality agreement existed, a point that Lee repeated in his message on Friday. Seoul summoned Ukraine’s top diplomat in the capital last week to complain about the situation, but the Ukrainian government has yet to meaningfully address the situation at press time.
In his message on Friday, Lee appeared to be responding to commentary from Ukrainian presidential Chief of Staff Kyrylo Budanov on Monday in which he suggested that the reason North Korea has inserted itself in the Russian invasion of Ukraine is to gain real-world battleground experience to prepare to invade the South. His comments did not mention the transfer of the North Korean prisoners of war or South Korea’s outrage at Kyiv.
“North Korea is arming itself by learning from our war,” Budanov said. “The primary purpose of accelerating armament is to prepare for full-scale combat in its own region (the Korean Peninsula).”
“Very recently, another incident occurred along the Military Demarcation Line between South Korea and North Korea,” he observed, “The situation is deteriorating day by day. … It is only a matter of time before an incident occurs that could lead to uncontrollable consequences.”
Lee noted that Budanov’s comments followed a South Korean demand for an apology, apparently interpreting them as threats to the South.
“Regarding the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war, the Ukrainian side demanded confidentiality and agreed to it, but unilaterally disclosed it,” Lee wrote, “and when the President of the Republic of Korea expressed regret with the utmost courtesy, they claimed there was no agreement, making the head of state of the other country out to be a liar.”
“And,” he continued, “when we demanded acknowledgment of the agreement and an apology, they instead spoke of an imminent military clash between North and South, praying for the outbreak of war on the Korean Peninsula — we express grave regret toward Ukraine.”
“If you continue to refuse to acknowledge the facts and issue a public apology, we will take additional measures,” he warned. “As this is a matter concerning the honor of the Republic of Korea’s people and nation, we cannot overlook it.”
Lee did not specify what “additional measures” against Ukraine Seoul was willing to take. It is unclear what actions Lee’s administration could move forward with given that Ukraine and South Korea are allies and the South Korean government, especially under past conservative presidents, has been extremely supportive to Ukraine in the past four years of invasion. The South Korean Yonhap News Agency reported, citing anonymous sources, that the threatened “measures” could include recalling Korean Ambassador to Ukraine Park Ki-chang.
Later on Friday, Yonhap reported that the South Korean Foreign Ministry held a meeting with reporters to update on the situation with Ukraine, revealing that Ukrainian and South Korean officials are in conversation about how to address the dispute.
“One thing I want to make clear is that there was an agreement from the outset to keep the matter confidential to protect the soldiers and their families, who remain in North Korea. There is no question about that,” the unnamed official insisted.
The conversations between the two countries, the source continued, involve Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and have focused on what a response from Ukraine in public would look like, particularly its “tone and content.” Sybiha has previously dismissed the situation as a “misunderstanding” and emphasized that Ukraine considers South Korea a friendly nation whose support it values.
Lee had already addressed the issue the past weekend, explaining that his government chose not to disclose the transfer of the North Korean prisoners despite some considering that it may have a domestic political benefit for the Blue House (the presidential office), and calling Zelensky’s comments “deeply regrettable.”
Speaking to the United Nations, Zelensky emphasized in late September that North Korean being an active belligerent in the Ukraine invasion made the situation an intercontinental conflict that required international attention.
“Recently, we sent two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea,” he announced. “These guys are not easy to capture alive. One of them, when he realized he was going to be taken prisoner, tried to kill himself. And he was shocked that fate didn’t let him die. This is how they raise people in the North. It’s reality.”
Zelensky asked, “Why should Koreans give their lives in a war against Ukraine?” and accused communist dictator Kim Jong-un of using North Korean lives as “currency” to pay for perks in bilateral relations with Russia.
Zelensky first revealed that Ukraine had captured North Korean soldiers in January 2025, publishing video of two men he claimed to have been deployed to fight his military by Pyongyang.
The Ukrainian government has not confirmed the identity of those North Koreans transferred to the South at press time.