'Claim of No Confidential Agreement Is False': South Korea Summons Ukrainian Chargé d'Affaires

[Anchor]

Cheong Wa Dae has directly refuted Ukraine's claim that there was never an agreement to keep the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war confidential. Criticizing Ukraine for not only breaking the confidentiality agreement but also issuing a false statement, the presidential office demanded an explanation and an apology. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Ukrainian chargé d'affaires to lodge a protest.

Reporter Park Yerim reports.

[Reporter]

Last night, Cheong Wa Dae issued a statement expressing strong regret to the Ukrainian government over the public disclosure of the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea, demanding an apology and an explanation.

The presidential office stated that Ukraine violated the bilateral confidentiality agreement by revealing the repatriation without prior consultation or notification, and that the press office of the Ukrainian presidential administration subsequently released a false statement claiming no such confidentiality agreement existed.

During his address to the United Nations General Assembly on September 24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy unexpectedly disclosed that two North Korean prisoners of war had been sent to South Korea.

[Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Ukrainian President: We recently sent two North Korean prisoners of war captured by Ukrainian forces to the Republic of Korea.]

In response, President Lee Jae-myung expressed regret on social media, stating that Ukraine "breached the confidentiality agreement," prompting an official from the Ukrainian presidential office to counter that they "never promised to maintain secrecy," sparking a battle over the truth.

Stating that the false announcement "seriously undermined the relationship of trust," Cheong Wa Dae detailed the background of the negotiations.

According to Cheong Wa Dae, the Ukrainian side initially requested that the transfer be kept confidential, citing concerns that domestic public criticism might arise over forfeiting the chance to exchange them for multiple Ukrainian captives. The South Korean government also agreed to the non-disclosure to protect the safety of the prisoners and their families.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that today (September 28), it summoned Andrii Vieshkin, Chargé d'Affaires of Ukraine to South Korea, to strongly protest the release of false information and demanded an explanation, an apology, and measures to prevent any recurrence.

Cheong Wa Dae added that certain domestic political figures are politicizing diplomatic and security issues and harming the national interest, calling on them to refrain from making false assertions.

The ruling People Power Party criticized the government, asserting that being more sensitive to the disclosure than the repatriation itself amounts to "walking on eggshells around North Korea," while the Democratic Party fired back, calling the criticism an "outdated red-baiting tactic."

(Video by Ha Ryung and Yoon Hyeong | Video Editing by Oh Young-taek | Graphics by Han Heung-soo)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.