박보람
| 2026-09-25 01:07:25
By Park Boram
MEXICO CITY, Sept. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday expressed regret that Ukraine has disclosed the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) to South Korea, calling it a breach of a non-disclosure agreement.
The South Korean president made the remarks in a post on his X account, a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine recently sent the two North Korean soldiers to South Korea in his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Later in the day, the Ukrainian presidential office said the transfer of the two North Korean prisoners to South Korea was carried out through direct dialogue with Seoul.
"(Ukraine) disclosed the transfer in breach of a non-disclosure agreement," Lee wrote. "I don't know the reasons (for the disclosure), but I regret it."
Lee said the issue is a very sensitive matter that could immensely affect diplomacy and national security, as well as the security environment on the Korean Peninsula, adding that South Korea and Ukraine had agreed to a confidential transfer of the North Korean soldiers, in consideration of the many problems expected if the transfer were disclosed.
Lee also addressed opposition parties' criticism over the confidentiality agreement, saying it would be "cruel and irresponsible" to disclose the transfer regardless of how it would affect inter-Korean ties or whether it could lead to someone's death or hamper national interests.
The president expressed hope that inhumane wars, in which innocent people are killed or injured, would end as soon as possible.
The two North Korean soldiers were captured by Ukrainian forces in January 2025 after being deployed to Russia's Kursk region along with thousands of other North Korean troops in support of Moscow's war against Ukraine.
The two earlier expressed their desire to come to South Korea, and South Korea and Ukraine had since been discussing their transfer.
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