Seoul, Kyiv clash over confidentiality as N. Korean POW repatriation goes public

The Korea Times - Sep 26, 2026

South Korea and Ukraine are offering conflicting accounts of whether they had agreed to keep the repatriation of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) to South Korea confidential, putting the two countries publicly at odds over the handling of the sensitive issue. Cheong Wa Dae on Saturday stood by its handling of the repatriation but refrained from directly engaging with Ukraine's denial of a confidentiality agreement. "I don't think it would be appropriate to respond in detail to each comment attributed to sources," a Cheong Wa Dae official, who was accompanying President Lee Jae Myung on his state visit to Mexico, told reporters. "The government's position is to handle the matter in accordance with the principles it has consistently followed, including the wishes of the individuals concerned, procedures under domestic law, international legal considerations and humanitarian principles." The comments came after RBC-Ukraine reported Friday that Ukraine had not promised to keep the repatriation confidential, citing a source in Ukraine's presidential office. The source told the outlet

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