South Korea Warns Of ‘Further Measures’ If Ukraine Refuses To Apologize Publicly

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday warned that Seoul would take “further measures” if Ukraine refuses to publicly apologize for what he described as the unilateral disclosure of information about North Korean prisoners of war being sent to South Korea.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week revealed that Kyiv had transferred two North Korean soldiers captured during the war to South Korea, saying they were “not easy to capture alive.”

Lee expressed his dismay hours after Zelensky made the remarks at the United Nations, with Seoul saying confidentiality was essential to protect the prisoners’ relatives from potential repercussions in North Korea.

South Korea subsequently demanded an official apology from Ukraine.

“If Ukraine continues to refuse to acknowledge the facts and publicly apologize, we will take further measures,” Lee said Friday, accusing Kyiv of portraying him as a “liar.”

“This is a matter concerning the dignity of the Republic of Korea and its people and cannot be overlooked,” Lee wrote on X.

Lee was referring to comments by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in an interview published Thursday by RBC-Ukraine and other Ukrainian media outlets.

Sybiha said he would “not like to call it an incident,” describing the episode instead as a “diplomatic misunderstanding.”

“South Korea is an important country for us. And I very much hope for momentum, continued cooperation, and concrete results that we are indeed achieving with them,” Sybiha said.