Ukraine Trying to Provoke a New Korean War - South Korean President Warns

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has accused Ukraine of attempting to provoke a war on the Korean Peninsula amid an escalating diplomatic dispute over Kiev’s public disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea. Lee warned that Seoul would take “additional measures” against Ukraine unless it acknowledges what South Korea says was an agreement to keep the transfer confidential and issue a public apology. The dispute began after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly announced on September 23 that two North Korean soldiers captured during fighting in Russia’s Kursk Region had been transferred to South Korea, which has widely been criticised as illegal and contrary to their rights of repatriation as prisoners of war. 

Lee has objected particularly strongly to Ukrainian comments concerning a potential military confrontation between North and South Korea. In a statement published on October 2, the South Korean president said he expressed “grave regret” that, rather than acknowledging the alleged agreement and apologising, Ukrainian officials were discussing an imminent military clash between the two Koreas. Lee described this as “attempting to provoke a war on the Korean Peninsula.” Ukraine could benefit considerably from a new war in Korea, as it would limit North Korea’s ability to divert supplies and personnel to support the Russian-led war effort in Eastern Europe. North Korea has been by far Russia’s most significant military supporter in the conflict. 

The two North Korean personnel were captured by Ukrainian forces in January 2025 while serving alongside Russian forces. The two prisoners have particular significance because they are the first North Korean soldiers known to have been captured alive while participating in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Their delivery to South Korea could provide Seoul with information concerning North Korean military personnel, training and battlefield experience acquired during their deployment to Russia. South Korea has for over four years under three administrations consistently resisted Western pressure to send armaments to Ukraine, contrasting with the positions taken by other Western-aligned states.