South Korea to take 'measures' if Ukraine refuses apology

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said that Seoul would take "further measures" if Ukraine refuses to publicly apologise over what he called its unilateral disclosure of North Korean POWs being sent to South Korea.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky disclosed last week that his country had sent two North Korean soldiers to the South, saying they were "not easy to capture alive".

Hours after Mr Zelensky's remarks at the United Nations, South Korea's Mr Lee expressed his dismay, with Seoul claiming confidentiality was key to protecting the POWs' relatives from any repercussions in North Korea.

A matter of dignity

South Korea later demanded an official apology from Ukraine.

"If Ukraine continues to refuse to acknowledge the facts and publicly apologise, we will take further measures," said the South Korean President, accusing Kyiv of making him out to be a "liar."

"This is a matter concerning the dignity of the Republic of Korea and its people and cannot be overlooked," Mr Lee posted on X.

Mr Lee referred to an interview with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha published by RBC-Ukraine and other Ukrainian outlets.

Mr Sybiha said he would "not like to call it an incident", describing it instead as a "diplomatic misunderstanding".

"South Korea is an important country for us. And I very much hope for momentum, continued cooperation, and concrete results that we are indeed achieving with them," he said.