South Korea summons Ukrainian envoy over North Korean POW disclosure dispute
South Korea's Foreign Ministry summoned Ukraine's acting ambassador on Monday over Kyiv's disclosure that two North Korean prisoners of war had been transferred to Seoul, escalating a dispute over whether the countries had agreed to keep the transfer confidential.
First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo conveyed Seoul's “stern stance” to acting Ambassador Andrii Vieshkin and expressed strong concern over Ukraine's denial that a confidentiality agreement existed, the ministry said, according to Yonhap.
Park said Ukraine's denial had seriously damaged mutual trust and affected friendly relations between the two countries. He called on Kyiv to provide an official explanation and apology.
Vieshkin said he would accurately convey Seoul's position to Kyiv.
The dispute began after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed at the UN General Assembly that two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukraine had been transferred to South Korea.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and his office subsequently said Ukraine had violated a nondisclosure agreement intended to protect the soldiers following their transfer.
Ukrainian presidential communications adviser Dmytro Lytvyn denied that such an agreement existed. A senior Ukrainian official later told the Financial Times that the transfer had been discussed in detail by the countries' foreign ministers but that there had been no agreement between the presidents to keep it secret.