"Is This Something to Be Enraged About?"... Na Kyung-won Sends 'Thank-You Letter' to Ukraine

Representative Na Kyung-won of the People Power Party announced that she has sent a thank-you letter to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Releasing the letter on social media, Representative Na told President Zelenskyy, "I welcome Your Excellency President Zelenskyy's magnanimous decision to respect the free will of North Korean prisoners of war surnamed Ri and Baek and allow them to come to South Korea, and I express my deep gratitude."

She stated, "We fully understand that Your Excellency President Zelenskyy's handling of the North Korean prisoners of war issue, grounded in universal human rights, international law, and humanitarian principles, was by no means an easy decision as a head of state and commander-in-chief elected by the Ukrainian people."

Representative Na's office sent the letter online to the Ukrainian government, and it is reported that they are also considering delivering a physical copy through diplomatic channels.

Regarding the reason for sending the thank-you letter, Representative Na argued, "Is Ukraine's disclosure of the fact that it sent North Korean POWs to South Korea something for President Lee Jae-myung and the government to become so enraged about and take the extreme measure of recalling the ambassador?" adding, "Even if there are some differences of opinion and regrettable points regarding whether to make the procedure public, it is essentially a humanitarian and security achievement for which both countries should put their heads together and thank each other."

She further criticized, "While failing to say a single word to North Korea, which harmed our service members with landmines along the Military Demarcation Line, or to the aggressor nation Russia, the Lee Jae-myung administration is repaying Ukraine's favor of repatriating North Korean POWs with hostility, moving completely in the wrong direction."

Earlier, the South Korean government decided to recall its ambassador to Ukraine as a measure against Ukraine disclosing the repatriation of the North Korean prisoners of war without prior consultation and failing to apologize for doing so.

In response, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that "diplomacy must take precedence over emotions," adding, "We invited the South Korean Ambassador to Ukraine to the ministry and conveyed the Ukrainian side's position."

Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Kim Bok-hyung | Graphics by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.