South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has warned that it will take unspecified "further action" if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky does not publicly apologise for revealing that two North Korean prisoners of war had been sent to the South.
Zelensky disclosed the information at a United Nations General Assembly session last week, a move that Seoul said was meant to remain secret.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the incident as a "diplomatic misunderstanding" and said Kyiv was working to resolve it.
Lee rejected that characterization on X, arguing the matter concerned "the dignity of the Korean people and the nation."
The president’s office said Ukraine had requested the transfer be kept confidential to protect the families of the North Korean soldiers and to avoid criticism that Kyiv had missed an opportunity to exchange the soldiers for Ukrainian POWs.
Zelensky’s office countered that no such agreement existed, further escalating tensions.
Lee faced intense criticism at home, with the opposition accusing him of covering up the transfer to appease Pyongyang.
The two soldiers, reportedly among thousands of North Koreans who supported Russia in the Ukraine war, had formerly expressed to local media that they wished to be sent to South Korea.
Sybiha said he "hopes that this situation will be resolved in the very near future" and that "South Korea remains an important partner."
Lee accused Kyiv of "attempting to bring war on the Korean Peninsula", warning that Ukraine was now discussing an impending military clash between the North and South.
South Korea has been supportive of Ukraine since Russia’s invasion but continues its policy of refraining from providing lethal weapons to any country engaged in active conflict.
