Ukraine War | Zelensky snubs South Korea

For Kim Jon Un, the soldiers he sent to Russia are heroes. The publicly announced handover of two soldiers by Kiev to Seoul could have dramatic consequences for the families. Photo: AFP South Korea has accused Ukraine of violating a confidential agreement between the two countries on the transfer of North Korean prisoners of war. The South Korean presidential office is demanding "an official explanation and an apology," said Seong Ghi Hong, who is responsible for public relations in the presidential office, late on Sunday evening. Seoul also expressed surprise at the Ukrainian reaction to criticism of the incident.

The background is statements made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj at the UN General Assembly. In his speech to the United Nations in New York on Wednesday, Zelensky said his country had handed over two North Korean soldiers to South Korea. He added that it was "not easy to capture them alive."

The disclosure of this information was immediately met with resentment in Seoul. "I don't know why the Ukrainian side broke the agreement and made the matter public, but it is very disappointing," South Korean leader Lee Jae Myung wrote a few hours later on the online service

There seems to be a fear in Seoul that the relatives of the two soldiers will be taken into custody as "members of enemies of the people." Pyongyang could also try to kidnap or kill Koreans handed over by Ukraine. Overall, the already tense situation on the Korean peninsula could worsen further as a result of the publication of information about the prisoners being handed over to Seoul.

Zelensky's adviser Dmytro Lytwyn responded to the accusation by saying that Ukraine is "an open country." It would therefore have been strange to hand over the soldiers secretly, he told journalists.

It is a "very serious matter that the Ukrainian side violated the confidentiality agreement between the two countries and unilaterally made the information public," said South Korean presidential official Seong. "But the false claim by the Ukrainian presidential office that there was no confidentiality agreement (...) significantly undermines trust between the two governments," he added. This also “seriously” damages the friendly relations between the two countries. The South Korean presidential office is now examining “further measures that may be necessary in this matter.”

Kyiv could thus alienate another partner. Zelensky had repeatedly asked South Korea to supply Patriot missiles and other weapons as well as financial support. The EU also repeatedly makes this request in Seoul.

For months, the Ukrainian government has been trying to play the North Korean card in order to get weapons from South Korea. Back in July, Kiev claimed that North Korea was planning to send up to 50,000 soldiers to the Ukraine war. It was later said that the North Koreans should be stationed in the Volgograd region of Russia and attack Ukraine from there. Pyongyang had denied sending more soldiers. There is no independent evidence for the Ukrainian claim.

The South Korean government also contradicted Kiev's claims, citing its policy of not sending lethal weapons to Ukraine. Given the tense situation on the Korean peninsula, Seoul needs its own weapons. Furthermore, it has no interest in a dispute with Moscow.

The two soldiers, who were handed over to South Korea, were captured by Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region on Russian territory in January last year. According to activists, they asked to live in South Korea. In February last year, South Korean lawmaker Yu Yong Weon visited the two North Koreans in Ukraine.

The international reaction to the capture of the two soldiers was mixed. Kiev was accused of presenting the men like a colonial show and offering interviews with them. It was said that the rights of the soldiers had been violated.

According to the South Korean constitution, all North Koreans are considered South Korean citizens. The government in Seoul has said this also applies to soldiers captured in Ukraine. With AFP

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