South Korea has asked Ukraine for an apology after the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war was made public, according to ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Seoul described the disclosure as deeply regrettable, the outlet reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine had sent the two North Korean soldiers to South Korea, Al Jazeera reported. The prisoners were North Koreans captured while fighting alongside Russian forces, according to the same outlet.
The public airing of the move is at the center of the dispute. Seoul's complaint, as reported by Al Jazeera, is that the disclosure of the transfer was made without its agreement, prompting its demand for an apology. The Courier Mail also reported that Seoul is seeking an apology following Ukraine's revelation about the prisoners.
The two outlets, ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Al Jazeera, frame the episode as a rare public friction point between Kyiv and Seoul, which has supported Ukraine but has not directly supplied weapons. North Korean troops have been deployed to support Russia's war effort, and some have been taken captive by Ukrainian forces.
South Korea's demand puts the handling of those captives at the center of the two countries' dealings. How Kyiv responds to the request, and whether the two governments can settle the matter privately, will shape the next phase of the dispute.
