South Korea has declared Ukraine's apology over the public disclosure of two transferred North Korean prisoners of war "insufficient" and is weighing "firm measures" — including recalling its ambassador from Kyiv — in a diplomatic feud that has pitted two wartime partners against each other. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun told lawmakers on October 6 that a message from his Ukrainian counterpart "included an apology" but was "different from the level we expected."
How the Feud Erupted
The row traces back to September 23, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced at the UN General Assembly that Ukraine had transferred two North Korean soldiers — captured fighting for Russia in the Kursk region in January 2025 — to South Korea. The men arrived in South Korea in mid-September, according to South Korean officials.
Seoul maintains that both sides agreed to keep the transfer confidential to protect the soldiers and their families still inside North Korea — and says Ukraine was the side that first requested secrecy. South Korea summoned Ukraine's acting ambassador, Andrii Vieshkin, on August 28 to demand an explanation and an apology.
Two Conflicting Accounts
Kyiv's presidential office has denied that any confidentiality agreement existed, calling it "strange" to keep such a transfer secret. President Lee Jae Myung reacted sharply on October 2, posting that the denial was effectively "branding the head of state of the other country a liar" and warning of "additional measures."
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi has framed the dispute as a "difference in interpretation of the agreements regarding confidentiality arrangements," insisting Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha merely "regretted the situation" rather than issuing a formal apology. In a counter-charge, Tykhyi said Kyiv had told Seoul it possesses evidence that South Korean fuel was being exported to Russia.
Seoul's "Firm Measures"
Cho told the parliamentary audit that because the apology fell short of expectations, Seoul "intends to take firm measures" — with recalling Ambassador Park Hee-chang from Kyiv reportedly among the options under review. The standoff marks an unusually public rupture between two countries that have cooperated closely since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
What Comes Next
With both sides digging in — Seoul demanding a proper apology, Kyiv denying one was ever owed — the feud now hinges on whether back-channel diplomacy can produce language both capitals can accept. For now, the fate of the two transferred soldiers, and the families they left behind in North Korea, hangs over every exchange.
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Hitman (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0