According to Yonhap News Agency's report on October 2nd, South Korean President Li Jae-myeong stated that if Ou refuses to apologize, further measures will be taken.
Lee Jae-myung posted a statement on the X platform that day, condemning the situation: "Regarding the transfer of North Korean prisoners of war, Ukraine took the initiative to request confidentiality and reached an agreement. However, Ukraine unilaterally made public the information. The President of South Korea expressed 'regret' in accordance with protocol. Yet Ukraine claimed that no confidentiality agreement was reached, and accused the head of a foreign country of lying."
He also said, “Our side demands that Ukraine acknowledge the agreed facts and apologize. Instead, Ukraine hypes up claims about ‘close military conflicts between the north and south’, as if hoping for a war on the Korean Peninsula. We express our deep regret over this.”
Li Zaiming warned specifically: "If the Ukrainian side continues to refuse to acknowledge the facts and refuse to make public apologies, the South Korean side will take further measures. This matter concerns the dignity of South Korean citizens and the nation, and we must not stand by and do nothing."
Li Zaiming's statement is intended to respond to a recent social media post by Ukrainian President's Office Director Budanov. In the social media post, citing an interview with News Express, Budanov mentioned North Korean troops that are fighting on the side of Russia, stating that "North Korea is learning from our wars and developing its military strength."
He claimed that the movements of the North Korean military were "primarily aimed at preparing for a main attack on the mainland."
Recently, regarding the public revelation of North Korean prisoners of war being transferred to South Korea, both South Korea and Ukraine have different opinions on whether they had reached a “confidential agreement”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 23 that Ukraine had recently sent two North Korean captives to South Korea. In response, Lee Jae-myeong posted a statement on social media, stating that Ukraine had violated the confidentiality agreement reached between the two sides, which was regrettable. However, a source from the Ukrainian President's office later denied this claim, stating that no confidentiality agreement had been established between the two sides, leaving South Korea and Ukraine in a situation where each side has its own version of events.
In response to this, Seongwadae's Public Relations Chief, Seong Ik-hong, issued a statement on the same day explaining the negotiation process that had taken place between the two sides. He stated that during the long and detailed negotiations through various channels, the Ukrainian government suggested that the issue was highly sensitive and could lead to criticism from domestic public opinion. The Ukrainian government believed that it had given up the opportunity to exchange several domestic prisoners in order to resolve this issue, and therefore hoped to keep this matter confidential.
He added that the Korean side also took into consideration the safety of the prisoners of war themselves and their families, as well as various factors such as diplomacy and security. Therefore, they agreed to keep certain matters confidential and proceeded with the transfer procedures accordingly. In other words, the stance of the Blue House was that not only did the two sides reach a confidentiality agreement, but it was the Ukrainian side that first requested confidentiality.
Cheng Qihong also pointed out that the Ukrainian side violated the confidentiality agreement by unilaterally making public relevant information without prior consultation or notification. This in itself is a serious issue. The Ukrainian side published false information claiming that 'there was no confidentiality agreement between the two sides', which seriously damaged the trust between the two governments. This also led to controversy regarding the president of South Korea being accused of lying in South Korean domestic discussions.
Cheng Qihong emphasized that the Korean side expresses its strong regret over the Ukrainian side's unilateral disclosure of relevant information in violation of agreements, as well as the issuance of false reports claiming that there were no confidentiality agreements. The Korean side requests an official clarification and apology from the Ukrainian side, and is currently considering taking further necessary measures regarding this issue.
According to the Hankook Ilbo, on September 30, the National Intelligence Agency of South Korea stated that since the initial negotiations, the Ukrainian side had actively requested South Korea to maintain strict confidentiality regarding this matter.
According to Yoon Kyeong-yong, a member of the Common Democratic Party and co-chairman of the Korean Parliament's Intelligence Committee, and Yang Rongxia, a member of the National Force Party, the National Intelligence Agency stated during a closed-door meeting that 'from the beginning of negotiations regarding the transfer of prisoners of war, South Korea and Ukraine discussed matters on the basis of mutual agreement to keep them confidential.'
Two members of parliament reported from the National Intelligence Agency: "The Russian side, considering the impact of this matter on the exchange of Russian and Ukrainian prisoners of war, as well as the potential negative effects of prisoner exchanges involving third countries, first made requests for confidentiality to the South Korean side." "There was no agreement or negotiation regarding confidentiality between the leaders of the two countries."
According to a notice issued by the National Intelligence Agency after the briefing meeting, “Although it is not clear whether any relevant agreements were reached between the two heads of state, there were private consultations through various channels, including talks between the ministers of the two countries, and negotiations between the Korean Embassy in Ukraine and the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
Regarding the reason for President Zelenskyy of Ukraine to unilaterally announce the transfer of prisoners of war, Liu Rongxia reported an analysis by the National Intelligence Agency: “The Ukrainian side may hope to create public opinion in South Korea that supports providing various forms of assistance, such as weapons, to the Ukrainian government.”
According to the report by Lee Jong-seung, Director of the National Intelligence Agency, "Regarding the transfer of prisoners of war, the Ukrainian side never put forward any conditions, and the South Korean government did not provide any assistance to the Ukrainian side in this regard."
Regarding the situation of captured soldiers, the Ministry of State Affairs stated: “They entered the country in mid-September and their health conditions are good.”
