Spy agency says Ukraine first requested confidentiality over transfer of N. Korean POWs

Ukraine was the first to ask the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) to South Korea be kept a secret, Seoul's spy agency said Wednesday, adding the two countries had a shared understanding to keep the transfer confidential from the beginning of the transfer process. In a briefing to the National Assembly's intelligence committee, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) also said the two North Korean soldiers arrived in South Korea in mid-September and had no major health problems, according to Rep. Youn Kun-young of the ruling Democratic Party and Rep. Yoo Yeong-ha of the main opposition People Power Party. "From the early stages of the talks, Ukraine asked that strict confidentiality be maintained, citing concerns over the potential impact on future negotiations on the exchange of POWs," Rep. Yoo told reporters after the briefing. "The NIS worked with the foreign ministry on their repatriation, and both South Korea and Ukraine held related discussions from the beginning under the shared understanding that the issue would remain confidential," he added. The NIS said the