A senior Blue House official stated that Kyiv provided prior warning to Seoul before President Volodymyr Zelensky’s remarks regarding two captured North Korean soldiers at the UN General Assembly. Although the official noted that the specific wording of the announcement slightly departed from understandings between the two governments, South Korea will continue its support for Ukraine.

The friction follows President Lee Jae Myung’s criticism of the disclosure, which he called “deeply regrettable” and a violation of a confidentiality agreement. The captured personnel were the first North Koreans taken alive by Ukrainian forces since Pyongyang joined the war in 2024 to fight for Russia. Kyiv denies the existence of a secret deal, arguing that it would be wrong to conceal the location of prisoners.