Seoul keeps apology demand after Kyiv says POW dispute is resolved

South Korea said on Oct. 13 that it still sought an apology from Ukraine over disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war. Seoul said diplomatic consultations were continuing.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said the government wanted an amicable resolution and remained in contact with the Ukrainian side. A separate ministry official confirmed to Yonhap that the apology demand stood.

The statement followed Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha’s comments to RBC-Ukraine on Monday that the matter had been resolved. He attributed the dispute to differing interpretations of confidentiality requirements and said Ukraine had fulfilled its obligations.

The soldiers were captured in January 2025 while fighting for Russia and arrived in South Korea in mid-September. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly disclosed the transfer at the U.N. General Assembly in September.

Seoul says the transfer was to remain confidential to protect the soldiers and their families in North Korea. Kyiv denies that a nondisclosure agreement existed. The Korea Times reported that Seoul acknowledged no formal document had been signed, while maintaining that a confidentiality understanding existed.

South Korea recalled its ambassador in protest. Park said officials were consulting closely with the recalled diplomat while communicating with Kyiv. The countries’ latest statements show that Seoul does not share Ukraine’s view that the dispute is closed.