Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said South Korea had requested the transfer of captured North Korean soldiers and that Ukraine handed them to the South Korean side, according to an MBC report citing comments he made to Reuters. Zelensky also invoked South Korea’s Constitution, saying the prisoners were considered South Korean citizens under its provisions.
The remarks add a new claim to the dispute surrounding Zelensky’s disclosure last month that North Korean prisoners had been transferred. MBC reported that South Korean President Lee Jae Myung had sought an apology over the disclosure of information that was supposed to remain confidential. Zelensky did not address that demand in the comments described by the broadcaster. The supplied report does not include independent confirmation from the South Korean government that it requested the transfer.
- Reported transfer rationale
- Zelensky said South Korea requested the transfer of captured North Korean soldiers
- Independent confirmation
- The supplied MBC report did not include confirmation from the South Korean government
- Related dispute
- MBC reported that President Lee Jae Myung had sought an apology over the earlier disclosure
Zelensky also renewed his warnings about the security consequences of North Korean forces gaining combat experience alongside Russia. He said Russia was sharing modern jet-powered drone technology with North Korea and described the transfer of military knowledge as dangerous. His assertions were presented as claims by the Ukrainian president, and the report did not provide separate evidence verifying the extent of any technology sharing.
A warning aimed beyond the Korean Peninsula
Japan also featured in Zelensky’s argument. He said North Korean troops were no longer the same force that had initially arrived in Russia because they had acquired experience and training, and he said Ukraine had shared related information with Japan. Zelensky argued that Japan possessed advanced technology but lacked experience in modern warfare, while training tens of thousands of North Korean personnel could allow knowledge to spread across a much larger force.
The comments place the prisoner issue within Zelensky’s broader effort to portray North Korea’s involvement in the war as a regional security threat extending beyond the Korean Peninsula. MBC noted that he had met Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly and later received a delegation of Japanese lawmakers in Kyiv. The next point to watch is whether Seoul confirms Zelensky’s account of its role in the transfer and whether the disagreement over confidentiality produces a formal diplomatic response.