South Korean president accuses Ukraine of stoking war talk on the peninsula instead of apologizing

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung accused Ukraine of, instead of acknowledging a confidentiality agreement regarding North Korean prisoners of war and offering an apology, beginning to speak about an inevitable military clash between the North and the South.

He wrote about this on his X account.

According to Lee Jae-myung, the Ukrainian side itself demanded confidentiality and agreed to it, but subsequently disclosed the information unilaterally. When the president of the Republic of Korea expressed regret, Kyiv stated that no such agreement existed, effectively accusing the head of another state of lying.

“Regarding the question of the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war: the Ukrainian side itself demanded confidentiality and agreed to it, but subsequently disclosed the information unilaterally. When the president of the Republic of Korea expressed regret in an extremely polite manner, the Ukrainian side stated that no such agreement existed, thereby effectively accusing the head of another state of lying. And in response to our demand to acknowledge the agreement and offer an apology, they began speaking about an inevitable military clash between the North and the South, as if wishing for a war on the Korean Peninsula. In this regard, we express our deep regret to Ukraine. If you continue to refuse to acknowledge the facts and offer a public apology, we will take additional measures. As this concerns the honor of the people and the state of the Republic of Korea, we cannot leave this unaddressed,” the South Korean president wrote.

The conflict between Seoul and Kyiv flared up following Vladimir Zelensky’s address to the UN General Assembly in New York in September. At that time, he revealed that Ukraine had handed over to South Korea two North Korean soldiers who had been fighting on Russia’s side and were captured in the Kursk region. Seoul accused him of violating the confidentiality agreement regarding this information.

In response, the Office of the President of Ukraine stated that no such agreement existed.