[Anchor]

Cheong Wa Dae has squarely refuted Ukraine's claim that there was never an agreement to keep the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war confidential. Accusing Kyiv of not only breaking a non-disclosure agreement but also making false public statements, Seoul demanded an explanation and an apology. South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Ukraine's chargé d'affaires to lodge a protest.

Reporter Park Ye-rin reports.

[Reporter]

On Sunday night (September 27), Cheong Wa Dae issued a statement expressing strong regret to the Ukrainian government regarding the public disclosure of the North Korean prisoners of war's transfer to South Korea, demanding an apology and an explanation.

The presidential office said Ukraine breached a bilateral non-disclosure agreement by disclosing the repatriation without prior consultation or notification, and that the press office of the Ukrainian presidency then made false announcements claiming no such agreement existed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made the surprise disclosure during his address to the United Nations General Assembly on September 24 that two North Korean POWs had departed for South Korea.

[Volodymyr Zelenskyy / President of Ukraine: Recently, we sent two North Korean prisoners of war captured by the Ukrainian military to the Republic of Korea.]

President Lee Jae-myung subsequently expressed regret on social media, stating that Kyiv had "broken the non-disclosure agreement," after which an official from the Ukrainian presidential office countered that they "did not promise confidentiality," sparking a dispute over the truth.

Cheong Wa Dae stated that the false announcements "seriously damaged relations of trust," explaining the circumstances that led up to the event.

According to Cheong Wa Dae, it was Ukraine that initially requested keeping the repatriation confidential, citing concerns that domestic public criticism might arise over forfeiting opportunities to exchange the North Korean soldiers for Ukrainian POWs; the South Korean government then agreed to the non-disclosure out of consideration for the safety of the prisoners and their families.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it summoned Andrii Beshkin, Ukraine's chargé d'affaires to South Korea, today (September 28) to lodge a strong protest over the false announcements and demanded an explanation, an apology, and measures to prevent any recurrence.

Cheong Wa Dae also stated that some domestic figures are politicizing diplomatic and security issues to the detriment of national interests, urging them to refrain from making false assertions.

The People Power Party leveled criticism, arguing that being more sensitive about whether the transfer was publicized than about the transfer itself was "walking on eggshells around North Korea," while the Democratic Party pushed back, calling it "outdated red-baiting."

Video by Ha Ryung and Yoon Hyeong | Video Editing by Oh Young-taek | Graphics by Han Heung-soo