President Lee Jae-myung Warns of Additional Measures if Ukraine Fails to Apologize

President Lee Jae-myung warned on the 2nd that he would take additional measures if Ukraine denies the confidential agreement on the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war and refuses to issue a public apology. The president made the remarks while sharing on X (formerly Twitter) an article about Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha saying on the 1st (local time) that "this matter should be regarded as a diplomatic misunderstanding."

The issue arose after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed at the UN General Assembly in New York on the 23rd of last month (local time) that two North Korean POWs were being repatriated to South Korea. The two prisoners were captured by Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk region in January of last year.

President Lee said that although the matter had been agreed to be kept confidential at Ukraine's request, Ukraine unilaterally disclosed it, and despite his having expressed regret in the most courteous manner possible, Ukraine claimed no agreement existed, effectively branding the head of state of another country a liar. "When we asked them to acknowledge the agreement and apologize, they instead spoke of an imminent inter-Korean military clash," Lee wrote. "I express serious regret toward Ukraine, which is attempting to provoke war on the Korean Peninsula." He viewed the matter as one concerning the dignity of the nation and its people, stressing that it "cannot be overlooked."

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Sybiha has said, "I sincerely hope this situation will be resolved very soon," adding that "South Korea is an important country to us."