Lee Warns Ukraine Over Prisoner Transfer Disclosure

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung warned on October 2 that his government would take additional measures unless Ukraine acknowledges an alleged confidentiality agreement over the transfer of two North Korean prisoners and apologizes for disclosing it. Lee did not specify what measures Seoul might take, and the dispute over whether an agreement existed remains unresolved. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at the United Nations General Assembly last month that Kyiv had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea. Zelenskyy said the men had been captured while fighting for Russia in the Kursk region. South Korean officials say Ukraine had discussed the transfer with Seoul through various channels and requested that it remain secret. Ukrainian officials deny that a secrecy agreement was reached. The available accounts do not establish whether the governments made such an agreement. Lee’s warning called on Kyiv to acknowledge the alleged agreement and issue an apology. He also criticized Ukrainian remarks about the prospect of a military confrontation between North and South Korea, saying they raised the risk of war on the Korean Peninsula.