South Korea warns ‘further measures’ if Ukraine refuses public apology

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea’s leader warned Friday of unspecified “further measures” if Ukraine did not apologize for revealing that Kyiv had sent North Korean prisoners of war to the South.

Seoul has already summoned Ukraine’s ambassador in the diplomatic row over the disclosure that South Korea said could expose the POWs’ families to risk in the North.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced last week at the United Nations General Assembly the handover of the two North Korean troops who were captured while fighting for Russia.

South Korea maintains it had a confidentiality agreement with Ukraine over the transfer, which Kyiv has not officially acknowledged.

“If Ukraine continues to refuse to acknowledge the facts and publicly apologize, we will take further measures,” said South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung, accusing Kyiv of making him out to be a “liar.”

Lee did not elaborate on what further measures could include.

Ukraine’s embassy in South Korea did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

The South Korean leader has already spoken up against Zelensky’s comments and Seoul has demanded an official apology from Ukraine, citing concerns for the safety of the POWs’ families in North Korea.

“This is a matter concerning the dignity of the Republic of Korea and its people and cannot be overlooked,” Lee posted on X on Friday.

Analysts say that from South Korea’s perspective, keeping the transfer of the POWs confidential may have partly been for Ukraine’s sake, as making it public could have complicated Kyiv’s own prisoner exchanges with Russia.

In domestic South Korean politics Seoul’s approach “could prove problematic,” Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University, told Agence France-Presse, given the current administration’s dovish approach to the nuclear-armed North.

“The government has acted swiftly in this case involving Ukraine, while exercising extreme caution over the North Korean landmine incident (that injured South Korean soldiers). That contrast could leave the public deeply dissatisfied.”