Lee Jae Myung threatens Ukraine with ‘additional measures’ if Kyiv does not apologize publicly over the transfer of North Korean soldiers

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday threatened “additional measures” against Ukraine if Kyiv continues to refuse to acknowledge the existence of a confidentiality agreement covering the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers and to apologize publicly, as Reuters reports.

“If the refusal to acknowledge the facts and to apologize publicly continues, we will take additional measures,” Lee wrote on X.

Lee also expressed “deep regret” over what he called Ukrainian statements about an imminent military clash between the two Koreas, saying they incited war on the Korean Peninsula.

The dispute began when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced at the UN General Assembly last month that Ukraine had transferred to South Korea two North Korean prisoners of war captured while fighting for Russia. Seoul then accused Kyiv of violating the agreement to keep the transfer confidential in order to protect the soldiers, while Ukrainian officials denied the existence of such an agreement.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Thursday that Ukraine seeks to improve relations: “I wouldn’t call it an incident. Let’s call it a diplomatic misunderstanding,” nv.ua quoted him as saying. Analyst Cho Han-bum of the Korea Institute for National Unification says the additional measures will likely affect the aid South Korea gives Ukraine — humanitarian, financial and for reconstruction: “Ukraine has more to lose… because it receives aid from Seoul.” South Korea has given Ukraine humanitarian and financial aid since 2022 and in July pledged an additional $100 million in non-lethal aid.

The dispute comes at a delicate moment for Seoul, which is seeking to lower tensions with North Korea and is facing the political fallout of a landmine incident in the Demilitarized Zone.