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South Korea’s intelligence agency believes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy may have disclosed the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul in an effort to build public support in South Korea for providing weapons and other assistance to Ukraine, a lawmaker said Wednesday.
Lawmaker Yoo Yeong-ha said the agency assessed that Zelenskyy “may have decided to disclose the transfer” in hopes of generating greater backing in South Korea for military support to Kyiv.
Zelenskyy revealed last week that Ukraine had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea, saying they had been “not easy to capture alive.”
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung expressed dismay hours after Zelenskyy’s remarks at the United Nations, while Seoul said confidentiality was important to protect the prisoners and their relatives in North Korea.
South Korea summoned Ukraine’s envoy on Monday to express “serious concerns” over the disclosure.
Lawmaker Youn Kun-young said the two prisoners arrived in South Korea from Ukraine in mid-September.
Citing South Korea’s intelligence agency, Youn said they were “in generally good health, with no major health concerns.”
He also said the soldiers’ willingness to move to South Korea had been confirmed several times.
Ukraine captured the two North Korean troops early last year among soldiers deployed by Pyongyang to fight alongside Russian forces.
One of the prisoners later told South Korean media that he had been conscripted at age 17 and served in a reconnaissance unit. A South Korean lawmaker had previously said the pair wanted to live a “normal life” in the South.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said earlier this week that Seoul and Kyiv had agreed to keep the transfer confidential because it involved the personal safety of the prisoners and their families.
Yoo said Wednesday that there had been no confidentiality agreement directly between the South Korean and Ukrainian presidents, but diplomatic officials from both sides had agreed to secrecy during their communications.
“From the outset of the discussions, the Ukrainian side proactively requested strict confidentiality, citing concerns about the potential impact on future prisoner exchanges with Russia,” Yoo said.
The disagreement could complicate Ukraine’s requests for military assistance from South Korea.
Seoul has not provided lethal weapons to Ukraine, citing a domestic ban on militarily assisting countries at war.
South Korea has nevertheless been considering requests for defensive weapons, particularly since North Korea deployed troops to support Russia.
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