Kyiv's foreign ministry believes it is necessary to resolve a "diplomatic misunderstanding" with Seoul following accusations that the Ukrainian government encouraged military conflict on the Korean Peninsula. This outreach follows a threat from South Korean President Lee Jae-myung to take retaliatory measures unless Ukraine acknowledges a secrecy pact and issues an official apology. Lee accused President Volodymyr Zelensky of plotting for the outbreak of war after Zelensky publicly revealed during a UN General Assembly speech that Ukraine had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea.

The two prisoners, captured while fighting for Russia, were the first North Koreans taken alive by Ukrainian forces since Pyongyang's entry into the conflict in 2024. South Korea's intelligence service claims that Kyiv initially requested the transfer remain confidential to prevent domestic criticism for failing to use the men in a POW swap for Ukrainian troops. While Ukraine previously denied any such pact existed, arguing that concealing the prisoners' fate was wrong, the current shift in tone comes after South Korea summoned the Ukrainian envoy in protest.