Kiev trying to spark war on Korean peninsula – Seoul

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has threatened to respond if Ukraine fails to apologize for violating a confidentiality agreement South Korea has accused Ukraine of trying to spark war on the Korean Peninsula, with President Lee Jae-myung threatening a response unless Kiev apologizes for breaching a confidentiality agreement. Vladimir Zelensky announced publicly last week that Ukraine had transferred two North Korean prisoners to South Korea. Seoul says the arrangement was supposed to remain secret, but Kiev has denied that claim. Writing on X on Friday, Lee said Ukraine had initially requested secrecy, then disclosed the transfer unilaterally and made him look like “a liar” by denying the agreement.

He further accused Kiev of responding to demands for an apology by trying to shift the conversation to an imminent military clash between North and South Korea, describing its conduct as “attempting to provoke a war on the Korean Peninsula. ” “If the refusal to acknowledge the facts and issue a public apology continues, we will take additional measures,” Lee warned, stressing that South Korea’s national dignity is at stake. The dispute began with Zelensky’s September 23 address to the UN General Assembly, when he announced the transfer of the North Korean soldiers and said it was “not easy to capture them alive. ” The servicemen were reportedly taken prisoner in January 2025 in Russia’s Kursk Region, where North Korean troops helped repel a Ukrainian incursion. According to Seoul, Kiev initially sought secrecy to avoid domestic criticism for giving up prisoners who could have been exchanged for captured Ukrainians. South Korea also cited the safety of the soldiers and their families, alongside sensitive diplomatic and security concerns. Zelensky adviser Dmitry Litvin…