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South Korea accuses Ukraine of breaking secrecy deal on North Korean POW transfer
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced at the United Nations General Assembly that Ukraine has transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea. The soldiers were reportedly captured in Russia's Kursk region in January 2025.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung expressed deep regret over the announcement, claiming it violated a confidentiality agreement between Seoul and Kyiv. Lee stated that the transfer was intended to be kept secret due to its sensitive implications for diplomacy, national security, and the stability of the Korean Peninsula.
Ukraine has denied the existence of such an agreement. Dmytro Lytvyn, an adviser to President Zelensky, stated, “There was no such agreement, this is not true,” and argued that concealing the whereabouts of specific prisoners would be incorrect. The two North Korean soldiers are the only personnel from Pyongyang's contingent known to have been taken alive since North Korea joined Russia's war in 2024.
Entities
Lee Jae Myung · Lee Jae-myung · North Korea · South Korea · Ukraine · Volodymyr Zelensky · Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 5 SOURCES] Ukraine transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea. www.sofx.com · giaoducthoidai.vn · sputniknews.cn · news.cube-soft.jp · soha.vn
- [DISPUTED] South Korea and Ukraine had a confidentiality agreement regarding the prisoner transfer. www.sofx.com · sputniknews.cn · news.cube-soft.jp · www.koreaherald.com · giaoducthoidai.vn · +1 more
- [● 2 SOURCES] The two North Korean soldiers were captured in Russia's Kursk region in January 2025. www.sofx.com · giaoducthoidai.vn
- [DISPUTED] Ukraine denies that a confidentiality agreement existed regarding the transfer. www.koreaherald.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The transferred soldiers are the only North Korean troops known to have been taken alive since Pyongyang joined Russia's war in 2024. www.sofx.com