South Korea's President Lee threatens 'further action' unless Ukraine apologises over North Korean prisoners

3 October 2026

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung threatened unspecified 'further action' if Ukraine does not publicly apologise for revealing that two North Korean prisoners of war had been sent to the South.
Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky disclosed the transfer at the UN General Assembly last week.
Seoul says Ukraine had asked for the move to be kept secret; Zelensky's office says the two countries had no such agreement.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the row a 'diplomatic misunderstanding', which Lee rejected on X.
The two soldiers were among thousands of North Koreans supporting Russia in the war, and South Korea does not provide lethal weapons to countries in active war.