(2nd LD) president-NK POWs

▲ This file photo, provided by the office of Rep. Yu Yong-weon (L) of South Korea's main opposition People Power Party, shows the lawmaker talking with a North Korean soldier captured by Ukraine during his trip to Kyiv from Feb. 23-26, 2025. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ President Lee Jae Myung speaks during the Korea Investment Summit 2026 in New York on Sept. 23, 2026. (Yonhap)

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details)

By Park Boram

MEXICO CITY/SEOUL, Sept. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday expressed regret that Ukraine has disclosed the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) to South Korea, calling it a breach of a non-disclosure agreement that he said may lead to many problems.

"It was appropriate in every aspect not to disclose, considering many problems it may cause when disclosed, and (we) had agreed to do so," Lee said in a post on his X account, a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York that Ukraine recently sent the two North Korean soldiers to South Korea.

Shortly after Zelenskyy's speech, the Ukrainian presidential office said the transfer of the two North Korean prisoners to South Korea was carried out through direct dialogue with Seoul.

"(Ukraine) disclosed the transfer in breach of a non-disclosure agreement," Lee wrote. "I don't know the reasons (for the disclosure), but I regret it."

Lee said the issue is a very sensitive matter that could immensely affect diplomacy and national security, as well as the security environment on the Korean Peninsula, adding that South Korea and Ukraine had agreed to a confidential transfer of the North Korean soldiers, in consideration of the many problems expected if the transfer were disclosed.

Seoul and Kyiv had reportedly been in discussions over a possible transfer of the North Korean POWs to South Korea after the two expressed their desire to come to South Korea.

The Seoul government had previously refused to confirm their arrival in Seoul, citing what it called potential dangers to the safety and lives of the POWs and their families still in North Korea.

Responding to a query from Yonhap News Agency, the Ukrainian presidential office said Thursday that the country has only disclosed the transfer of the North Koreans to South Korea without what it called the long details of the process, claiming that it would have been strange to keep the entire transfer a secret.

Lee also addressed opposition parties' criticism over the confidentiality agreement, saying it would be "cruel and irresponsible" to disclose the transfer regardless of how it would affect inter-Korean ties or whether it could lead to someone's death or hamper national interests.

The president expressed hope that inhumane wars, in which innocent people are killed or injured, would end as soon as possible.

A presidential official later said on condition of anonymity that the South Korean government had been aware in advance of Zelenskyy's disclosure of the transfer because Ukraine had informed Seoul about the plan.

But Ukraine gave only vague information without elaborating on how the transfer would be represented, the official said, adding that Lee expressed regret that Ukraine did not stick to its previous agreement to keep the transfer process secret.

The two North Korean soldiers were captured by Ukrainian forces in January 2025 after being deployed to Russia's Kursk region along with thousands of other North Korean troops in support of Moscow's war against Ukraine.

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