Regarding the disclosure of North Korean prisoners of war in Ukraine and their transfer to South Korea, both South Korea and Ukraine maintain different views on whether a ‘confidential agreement’ was ever reached. According to Yonhap, the Presidential Palace of South Korea demanded that Ukraine formally clarify and apologize on the 27th.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on the 23rd local time that Ukraine had recently sent two North Korean prisoners to South Korea. In response, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol posted a statement on social media, stating that Ukraine had violated the confidentiality agreement reached between the two sides, which was regrettable. However, a source from the Ukrainian presidential office later disputed this claim, stating that there was no such agreement regarding confidentiality, leaving South Korea and Ukraine in a situation where each side holds different facts.
In response to this, Cheong Wa Dae's Publicity and Communication Chief Secretary, Choi Hyung, issued a statement on the same day, explaining the negotiation process that took place between the two parties. He stated that during the long and detailed negotiations through various channels, the Ukrainian government suggested that the issue was highly sensitive and could lead to criticism from domestic public opinion. The Ukrainian government believed that it had given up the opportunity of exchanging several domestic prisoners in exchange for this issue, and therefore hoped to keep this matter confidential.
He added that the Korean side also took into consideration the safety of both the prisoners of war themselves and their families, as well as various factors such as diplomacy and security. Therefore, they agreed to keep certain matters confidential and proceeded with the transfer procedures accordingly. In other words, the stance of the Blue House is that not only did the two sides reach a confidentiality agreement, but it was the Ukrainian side that first made the request for confidentiality.
Cheng Qihong also pointed out 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 statement that 'there is no confidentiality agreement between the two sides' further damaged the trust between the two governments. As a result, it sparked controversy within South Korea regarding the president's 'lies'.
Cheng Qihong emphasized that the Korean side expresses strong regret over the Ukrainian side's unilateral disclosure of relevant information in violation of agreements, as well as the issuance of false announcements claiming that there were no confidentiality agreements. The Korean side demands an official clarification and apology from the Ukrainian side, and is currently considering further necessary measures to address this issue.
