President Lee Jae-myung enters the venue for a briefing session on civil complaint innovation cases held at the Sejong Convention Center in Sejong on Feb. 2. Photo by Kwon Wook
President Lee Jae-myung said on the 2nd that South Korea will “take further steps” if Ukraine continues to refuse a public apology over the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war. He expressed “serious regret” over Ukrainian remarks that raised the prospect of military conflict on the Korean Peninsula, sharpening his pressure on Kyiv. The Presidential Office is weighing whether to recall South Korea’s ambassador to Ukraine, according to people familiar with the matter.
Lee made the comments on X, formerly Twitter, while sharing an article about remarks by Ukraine’s foreign minister. According to the article, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said he “sincerely hopes this is resolved” and that “Korea is an important country for us,” as controversy continued over Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s disclosure that North Korean prisoners of war had been handed over to South Korea.
“On the repatriation of the North Korean prisoners, Ukraine asked that it not be made public and we agreed, but Ukraine disclosed it unilaterally,” Lee said. “When the president of the Republic of Korea said, with the utmost courtesy, that it was regrettable, they said no such agreement had ever been made, turning the head of state of another country into a liar.”
“When we asked them to acknowledge the agreement and apologize, they instead talked about an ‘imminent military clash between the two Koreas.’ I express serious regret toward Ukraine for seeking to bring about war on the Korean Peninsula,” he said. He added that the matter “concerns the dignity of the people and the state of the Republic of Korea and cannot be overlooked,” warning that South Korea would take “further steps” unless Ukraine acknowledges the facts and issues a public apology.
The “military clash between the two Koreas” that Lee referred to is understood to point to a recent social media post by Kyrylo Budanov, chief of staff of Ukraine’s presidential office. Citing North Korean troops who joined the war in Ukraine in support of Russia, Budanov argued that “North Korea is learning from our war and arming itself,” and that it was doing so “above all to prepare for active combat in its own region.”
The Presidential Office also takes the view that Ukraine’s handling of the matter has been problematic. “Minister Sybiha’s remarks were an evasive answer to a demand for an official apology,” a Presidential Office official said. “Beyond breaking the promise of a confidential agreement, the way they have handled it since has been seriously wrong, so we have no choice but to consider stronger steps.”
Among the “further steps” Lee signaled, the Presidential Office is reportedly considering calling Ambassador to Ukraine Park Ki-chang back to Seoul. The Foreign Ministry summoned Ukraine’s charge d’affaires in Seoul on the 28th of last month to lodge a protest, but with no meaningful follow-up from the Ukrainian side, officials are weighing a recall of the ambassador as a way to raise the level of protest.
Talks between the two countries’ foreign affairs authorities are continuing, however. A senior government official said the two foreign ministers are in communication and are discussing issues including an apology from Ukraine over the dispute surrounding the confidential agreement on the repatriation of the North Korean prisoners.
Meeting reporters at the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno District, Seoul, the official said, “We are discussing how to announce something that meets the level we are demanding, including an apology.” The official added, “The content and the level have not yet been agreed on, so it is difficult for me to say more.”