According to Yonhap, after Ukraine unilaterally announced the transfer of North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea and claimed that "Korea and Ukraine never reached a confidentiality agreement on this matter," the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Andri Vishkin, the chargé d'affaires of Ukraine's embassy in Korea, on the 28th to express its serious concerns.
South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Park Ryun-ju summoned Andri Vyshkin in a closed-door meeting on that day. He emphasized that the Ukrainian claim that there are no confidentiality agreements between South Korea and Ukraine was a false statement, and South Korea expressed its strong regret over this. He also stated that such false statements by Ukraine seriously damaged the mutual trust between the two governments and undermined bilateral friendly relations. He urged the Ukrainian government to clarify the matter and offer an official apology, in order to prevent similar situations from occurring again.
The South Korean Presidential Office has previously demanded a formal clarification and apology from the Ukrainian side. It was also stated that further necessary measures are being considered in response to this issue. According to reports, in this context, the government has entrusted an official at the deputy-ministerial level, rather than a department-level official, to negotiate. The wording of the communication is highly consistent with the position statement of the Presidential Office, reflecting the South Korean side's high regard for this matter.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated during the United Nations General Assembly in New York on the 23rd that Ukraine had recently sent two North Korean prisoners to South Korea. In response, South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol posted a statement on social media, saying that Ukraine had violated the confidentiality agreement reached between the two sides, which is regrettable. However, a source from Zelenskyy's office later disputed this claim, stating that there was no such confidentiality agreement. As a result, both South Korea and Ukraine stand by their own claims.
On the 27th, the head of communications at Cheong Wa Sansa issued a statement stating that the Ukrainian side violated the confidentiality agreement by unilaterally disclosing relevant information without prior consultation or notification. This in itself is a serious issue. The fact that the Ukrainian side released the false claim that there was no confidentiality agreement is a further serious breach of trust between the two governments.
