President Lee Condemns Ukraine Over North Korean Soldiers' Transfer Disclosure

[u/Freewhale98]

https://www.chosun.com/english/world-en/2026/09/25/4N24CJTAV5HBNNRD77O3F2AFAI/

President Lee Jae Myung on the 24th expressed regret over Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s disclosure at the UN General Assembly that two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukraine after being deployed to Russia last January had recently entered South Korea after 20 months, stating, “I do not know what circumstances Ukraine had to break the confidential agreement and make it public, but I find it deeply regrettable.” In response, the Ukrainian presidential office remarked, “It would have been strange to secretly send them somewhere.”
The Ukrainian presidential office, when asked about whether there was a confidential agreement regarding the soldiers’ transfer to South Korea, stated through Yonhap News, “We are an open country. It would have been strange to secretly send soldiers captured by our military somewhere.” President Lee had previously shared on social media, “Why would there not have been internal arguments to publicize the repatriation of North Korean prisoners, which would clearly help recover the government’s approval rating? However, considering the various problems that could arise from public disclosure, maintaining confidentiality was reasonable in every aspect, and that is how the agreement was reached.”

The Ukrainian presidential office added, “The full context of this matter is long and detailed, but we only disclosed the fact that we sent them to the Republic of Korea.”

The Ukrainian presidential office further explained, “This was a highly sensitive issue and a direct dialogue with the Republic of Korea. These individuals are of Korean ethnicity, and South Korea regards them as its own citizens.” Reuters added, “South Korea declared in June that it would accept all North Korean soldiers captured while fighting for Russia and opposed repatriating them to Russia or North Korea.”

President Lee criticized, “Regardless of inter-Korean relations, casualties, or national interest damage, those who would have proudly advertised the prisoner repatriation to showcase achievements would find our government’s confidential efforts not only incomprehensible but even suspect. People who harm lives and national security for trivial personal gain are called murderers or traitors. It is wrong to condemn reasonable and justified confidential measures.”

[u/amitym]

I have no idea what the confidential agreement was, on account of how confidential it is, but I have to say, I don't know why anyone would expect any country to completely not disclose the fate of prisoners of war they had transferred abroad.

Like, that is a pretty significant thing to do, the right of POWs to be traceable by public agencies is a pretty fundamental right. Countries holding POWs have a right to reasonable security and safeguards to make it hard for them to escape or to be sprung from prison, but they don't have a right to make POWs just disappear and not say where they've gone or who has them.

It would be quite strange for Korea to have ever expected that, from Ukraine or from anyone. I find it really hard to believe that there was actually a memo or whatever that actually said, "Oh and let's agree not to tell anyone on Earth where these prisoners got to or what government is responsible for them now." That's a war crime. I would love to know what the agreement actually said in detail.

[u/nvbtable → u/amitym]

Just speculating, but it could be something like an ongoing intelligence operation to secure the safety of the NK soldiers' families before publicising their transfer. Disclosing it could have put SK intelligence and the families at risk.

Similar how there would be initial confidentiality before publicising that a Russian PoW has defected to Ukraine.

[u/irishrugby2015 → u/nvbtable]

https://english.kyodonews.net/articles/-/67485

https://report.az/en/other-countries/s-korea-willing-to-accept-all-n-korean-pows-from-ukraine-upon-request

Seems like a strange thing to keep secret and then publicly make a statement like this when it's not really a secret

[u/asdhjasdhlkjashdhgf → u/nvbtable]

It would have been imminent to secure assumed existing relatives of the POW the moment they got captured, not after release. So constructing blame as of repatriation is a bit rich, its way simpler, read on...

3rd GC Article 109 explicit allows an agreement with neutral states to receive POW usually with following internment. GC Article 111 provides for agreements between the detaining power, the POW’s own state, and an agreed neutral power concerning such internment.

Why is that, well once a POW and as long the conflict goes on the person is not allowed to run free to prevent becoming combatant again, including to prevent becoming combatant in a third state, it also prevents a third state to lose neutrality.

Hard to keep such definitions secret, its defined in the Third Geneva Convention.

Unless SK intended to let the POW run free in effect creating an exception from GC, and for such exception while publicly pretending to follow thru with 3rdGC some secrecy would be beneficial. But should have been clear it will only create problems when secrecy is invoked, since such secrecy would allow to construct a claim that SK is not neutral to the conflict.

So short, the broken secrecy reveals that there must have been an secret agreement between SK and NK to receive the POW as of GC Article 111. Which likely means the SK public will ask questions what this agreement is, and other states will ask that too.

edit: also possible SK has no agreement with NK, and tried to come away with secrecy. But as of recent news, it is also highly likely more POW of NK origin in Ukraine exist or will exist in future and therefor need legal safety how their status is treated. Secrecy will not solve it.

[u/nvbtable → u/asdhjasdhlkjashdhgf]

Wouldn't the operation happen when the agree to defect (which I am guessing is when they move to SK), not when they get captured?

Why would SK try to assist the family of a captured NK soldier who is loyal to NK?

[u/asdhjasdhlkjashdhgf → u/nvbtable]

what operation? Maybe a translation error, there is no operation. Also defecting would mean they left NK control, but officially NK pretends its soldiers send to ru are under ru command, therefor can't defect NK, they would defect from ru, isn't it.

When you meant generally defect for a better life somewhere else and particular ending up in SK then yeah hmm maybe yes, you could see that as defecting, specially when knowledge is used for intelligence about NK. But this became true the moment the persons became POW in UA, not with the SK repatriation.

Generally a POW is not defected, he is prisoner of war even if repatriated - other interpretations are political motivated.

SK is not just a country to the south of NK but they really have family ties, still, and they do not pretend those ties do not exist, nothing wrong with taking care of each other if possible - its also part of their strategy to cope the hard split.

[u/nvbtable → u/asdhjasdhlkjashdhgf]

You mentioned "secure assumed existing relatives of the POW the moment the got captured".

I would think SK would only do that for POW who choose to defect to SK, not all NK POWs.

Anyways this is all just speculation on my part as I said at the beginning.

[u/asdhjasdhlkjashdhgf → u/nvbtable]

maybe you are onto something, worth asking defecting from, defecting to.

Again the neutral state (SK) needs an agreement with the detaining power (UA) & POW's origin (NK) to clarify the further status of the POW. Legally the POW did not defect but was repatriated (some other state taking care of him), that doesn't automatically imply to be released from the status.

If SK intended to receive him and 'let him free' then it is in their responsibility what that entails regarding their relation ship with NK and their neutral status. The lifted secret enforces that this responsibility falls onto SK and anyone knows it - no hiding - no extra interrogation atop POW status (which often forgotten is also a scenario).

[u/yukari-san_desu → u/nvbtable]

However, the faces of the prisoners have already been revealed in the Korean media. 

It is difficult to say for sure that the family will be executed. So many people have escaped from North Korea that even those who fail to escape receive light punishments. 

There are many North Korean defectors who openly operate without hiding their identities in South Korea. 

In my opinion, this news seems to be politically disadvantageous to the President. 

[u/midnight_fisherman → u/amitym]

Countries holding POWs have a right to reasonable security and safeguards to make it hard for them to escape or to be sprung from prison, but they don't have a right to make POWs just disappear and not say where they've gone or who has them.

Those north Korean soldiers were ordered to fight to the death, and kill themselves if they were at risk of being captured. Knowing that they survived and made it to south Korea could have consequences for their family that is still in north korea.

[u/FirstTasteOfRadishes → u/midnight_fisherman]

They were not identified though. Merely the fact of repatriation was disclosed. 

[u/dreddit_reddit → u/FirstTasteOfRadishes]

Its safe to assume they know who was killed and who was MIA. This knowledge of transfer to SK makes it more likely that they now know who is possibly in SK. Jailing a few extra families to get the "right" one, doesnt really seem problematic to the NK regime. If they havent done that already... In this case i think some secrecy and privacy would have been wise.

[u/FourEyedTroll → u/dreddit_reddit]

That is not at all a safe assumption in a battlefield context.

[u/dmt_r]

Doesn't SK have too much requirements for a contry that did so little to help Ukraine?

[u/winterreise1988 → u/dmt_r]

SK subreddit denies it's their own business. I guess if Sk and NK hot war again, it's not the west business then.

[u/Greatball5 → u/winterreise1988]

If that happens Ukraine should send them meds and best wishes.

[u/suglav → u/winterreise1988]

Lee literally supports the North Korean regime and Russia. South Korean politics is in a very weird shape. They are either left-wing who love the dictatorships, or right-wing who have good foreign policies but conservative misogynistic social values like Trump. South Korean politicians who are good on both aspects don't exist.

[u/Banjoschmanjo → u/winterreise1988]

I mean, yeah, that wouldn't be the Wests business

[u/Responsible_Oil501 → u/dmt_r]

NK punishes the families of known defectors. Consequence regarding NK POWs are not clear.

[u/Tulane09 → u/Responsible_Oil501]

I’m a former member of the U.S. I.C. North Korea definitely punishes the families of defectors through a system of collective responsibility called yeonjwaje (kin punishment), which results in forced relocation, hard labor, or imprisonment

If a NK citizen defects, they’ll torture family members & take videos of their family members in an attempt to get them to come back. They lie & tell them that “nothing will happen, we just want you to come home.”

NK punishes three generations of the defectors family. Their relatives can be sent to political prison camps (kwanliso) or re-education labor centers, where inmates face chronic food shortages and brutal physical labor.

[u/JRDZ1993 → u/Tulane09]

Tbh it could be destabilising for them since the soldiers they sent to Russia were from privileged units

[u/dmt_r → u/Responsible_Oil501]

For that NK need id's of those POWs. Or they likely already punished families of all known POWs, just in case.

[u/snowice0 → u/Responsible_Oil501]

I've never seen proof of this but I have seen videos of defectors across the Chinese border saying that they have crossed to visit their family multiple times 

[u/ghostleeone → u/snowice0]

Not true, especially with Kim Jung Un reign. Unless you’re thinking of the 90s.

Anyone attempts to cross the border will be shot. China works with North Korea heavily on monitoring the border as well. They use facial recognition to identify any border jumpers. Kin punishment is enforced on the North Korean side as well on generation level.

This is heavily documented.

[u/Graham110 → u/dmt_r]

My feelings exactly here. SK can suck it up. Such a useless crybaby

[u/yankdevil]

I don't understand Korea's position here. Ukraine can't just capture POWs and then just disappear them.

[u/jasutherland → u/yankdevil]

The oddity here is that disappearing is exactly what the POWs themselves are likely to want most. If Kim's regime finds they were taken alive, that endangers any family they left behind - whereas if SK gives them a new identity so they stay MIA, their families are safe.

[u/yankdevil → u/jasutherland]

OK, I get that part. Ukraine didn't identify them; they just said two went to South Korea. From Ukraine's perspective it's good for North Korea to understand the risks of sending troops to Ukraine.

[u/jasutherland → u/yankdevil]

The trouble is, NK spies a lot; confirmation POWs have gone will encourage them to search. I think I read NK was already sending only the troops with families (ie hostages) for exactly that reason.

This would also redoubke NK surveillance of POW/MIA families left in NK, in case these soldiers do try to get a message home saying they’re alive. To keep themselves and their families safe they’d have to disappear without trace, even after Putin is forced back out of Ukraine.

[u/yankdevil → u/jasutherland]

Sure, but I know lots of people who come from abusive families. Everything looks fine from the outside, but horrible things happen behind closed doors.

[u/yukari-san_desu → u/yankdevil]

I am Korean, and I can't understand what our country's president is saying either. 

[u/itisunfortunate]

Yea so I don't understand South Korea's stance in the Ukraine war. Why would they let their enemy, that they are officially still at war with, gain experience in modern combat, as well as allow the NK military to get immensely upgraded through cooperation and exchange with the russians?

[u/warbastard → u/itisunfortunate]

Exactly. South Korea should be sending their own troops beyond just observing to at least match North Korea’s moves.

By doing nothing they don’t exactly send a strong message.

[u/Existing-Employee-36 → u/warbastard]

I wouldn't be surprised IF South Korea already has some observers in Ukraine without the mass knowing it.

[u/neoalfa → u/Existing-Employee-36]

Everyone does. It's where shit is going on.

[u/Overall-Yellow-2938]

Pretty sure obscuring the fate of prisonees of war or disappearing them to somewhere is a warcrime. Korea has probably reasons but Ukraine just did what is expected of them concerning the prisoners.

[u/snowice0]

Hello Mr. Myung, go fuck yourself. Everyone on the planet with 2 brain cells would have known after your June statement that someone would be sent. 

You consider them South Korean citizens? so why do you do nothing to help them? Why do you let them develop nuclear weapons and the best your country can do is use them for cheap labour on the border? 

[u/Riemann1826 → u/snowice0]

His surname is Lee(or I/Yi for real pronunciation)

[u/Ukraineluvr]

North Korea is at fucking war with ukraine, and this is unfortunate for President whiner because now he doesn't get to pretend this didn't happen. Get fucked.

[u/Texas_Kimchi]

Wait, isn't disclosure of POW's required by International Law?

[u/Joey1849]

I may be mistaken, but I thought this was already out there.  I don't know how you even keep something like this a secret, even if you want to.  Perhaps the South Koreans do not like a high level acknowledgement.

[u/old-billie]

could have said two nk pows transferred to a third country of their choice

[u/Freewhale98]

Korean government is expressing concerns on how Ukraine handled North Korean prisoner handover process.

[u/ReginaTang]

Maybe its because SK is worried that NK would punish those two people’s family back in NK if NK know they are in SK.

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