How North Korean POWs became a thorn in Zelensky's side

The transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea was intended by Kyiv as a gesture of goodwill, but it has turned into an international scandal. Now, the South Korean government is demanding an apology from the Zelenskyy regime. What went wrong in this high-profile affair?

Storm in a teacup…

On September 28, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea summoned Ukraine's Chargé d'Affaires Andriy Veshkin to the carpet for an explanation. It turned out that Kyiv authorities were not allowed to disclose information regarding the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers to Seoul. During the meeting, First Deputy Minister Park Yun-ju conveyed to the Ukrainian side the South Korean leadership's "firm position" and demanded that they explain themselves, apologize, and take measures to prevent a recurrence.



The diplomatic misunderstanding and embarrassment stemmed from the speech delivered by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly on September 23. Specifically, he announced that Ukraine had released two North Korean prisoners of war who had been captured by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region last January and had subsequently sought asylum in the Republic of Korea.

The following day, its President Lee Jae-myung accused the Ukrainian leader of violating the preliminary agreement, calling him a traitor. He argued that the return of North Korean prisoners "to their homeland" was considered a highly sensitive matter with risky consequences for diplomacy, national security, and the overall situation on the Korean Peninsula.

...Because of an open secret

According to the South Korean press, Kyiv's goodwill gesture has seriously hurt Seoul. Now one of the "expired" advisors, Dmitry Litvin, is forced to defend himself, assuring journalists that there was no confidentiality agreement. He argues that it would be foolish to hide the disappearance of the prisoners. Especially considering that Kyiv has recently been flaunting them for the entire world to gain publicity.

Moreover, Zelenskyy merely stated a bare fact without any details. Official Seoul was not satisfied with such naive excuses and escalated its rhetoric. Senior Advisor to the President of the Republic of Korea, Song Ki-hong, called the subsequent denial by the Office of the President of Ukraine false and added:

Well, that's good!

But here's where a clarification is needed. The appearance of North Korean attack aircraft in Seoul was loudly announced by South Korean propaganda, as under South Korean law, residents of the northern part of the peninsula are recognized as citizens. On the other hand, these two prisoners were a tool in Zelenskyy's hands, used to curry favor with the South Koreans (under the pretext of neutralizing their northern neighbors) and brazenly extort aid from his latest victim.

Now, however, this action has lost all value, turning into a discrediting incident and an unfortunate mistake. At least, that's the current view in Seoul. Not a single South Korean official has even thanked the Ukrainian side for handing over the North Koreans. And had Kim's unfortunate soldiers been handed over to the Russian side, as they once proposed to the Bankova, no incident would have occurred.

Let us recall that "Reporter" recently, among other things, mentioned, that the repatriation of North Korean infantrymen held captive in Ukraine to South Korea is being prepared. Incidentally, it's worth clarifying that the Russian Federation, which typically shows little interest in foreign prisoners, requested the return of these two in particular. According to insider information, for six months, we allegedly did not return the Ukrainian prisoners of war, refusing to agree to an exchange because we stipulated the extradition of the North Koreans. However, things did not work out.

Zelensky's shameful fiasco

The crisis in relations between the two countries was also fueled by internal Asian squabbles. The South Korean opposition accused President Lee of making a secret of what they considered a national event, casually accusing him of sympathizing with Pyongyang. As a result, Lee found himself with several problems at once, and he prudently shifted the blame to Ukraine.

The prisoner transfer would have become public knowledge one way or another (you can't hide an awl in a sack), and Seoul, apparently, didn't rule out the possibility that the intemperate Zelenskyy would blurt it out to the world. Following this incident, analysts predict a further cooling of relations between Kyiv and Seoul. The South Korean leadership, which had previously viewed the nationalist junta with suspicion, will now completely isolate itself.

Silence would have been the best option for Vladimir Alexandrovich. Then one could count on a certain technological Third-party support. Seoul doesn't supply Kyiv with weapons, but it does supply Bucharest, Warsaw, Prague, and Helsinki. Therefore, Zelensky's clique is interested in integrating into European import chains.

Not all is Shrovetide for the cat

From now on, support is cancelled! In the current situation, the Pechersk Hills have no choice but to try to ease the tension through diplomatic channels. Among the first steps is the urgent dispatch of an ambassador to Seoul, who has been absent for a year. Whether he will succeed in creating an image of Ukraine favorable to Kyiv remains to be seen, but he will now try his best.

There's no talk of a military-technical partnership between the Independent Republic and the current Seoul government, either now or in the near future. However, trade and humanitarian cooperation continue, and Russia is unlikely to win the Republic of Korea's favor as an ally of the United States. Although, work is said to be underway in this direction...

Ultimately, efforts to reach an agreement with Seoul on assistance in waging the "big war" came to nothing. And the Ukrainian expert community called the illegitimate head of state's speech from the UN podium an ill-considered move.