Zelensky under fire over North Korean POWs

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has come under diplomatic pressure after disclosing at the UN General Assembly that Ukraine had transferred two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea. 

South Korea on Monday (September 28) summoned Ukraine’s acting ambassador and demanded an official explanation and apology, saying the transfer was supposed to remain confidential. Seoul said Kyiv’s disclosure was made without prior consultation and could undermine trust between the two countries. 

South Korean officials said confidentiality was agreed upon because of security, diplomatic and humanitarian concerns, including the safety of the prisoners and their families in North Korea. 

Ukraine, however, has denied that the two countries had agreed to keep the transfer secret, saying it had only disclosed the fact that the prisoners were sent to South Korea. 

The two North Korean soldiers were captured in Russia’s Kursk region in early 2025 while fighting alongside Russian forces and had expressed a desire to settle in South Korea.

-AH