South Korea's president threatens Ukraine over captured North Korean soldiers

nrc.nl (Dutch) —

South Korea's president is furious with Ukraine's President Zelensky after he publicly announced the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers, threatening unspecified measures against Kyiv. Zelensky revealed the handover during a UN speech, despite an alleged agreement to keep it secret. The soldiers were captured in Russia's Kursk region in January 2025. South Korean President Lee Jae-myung demands an apology, while Zelensky denies any confidentiality deal. The dispute may reflect Seoul's shifting stance on Ukraine, potentially linked to South Korea's interest in using the Arctic sea route, which runs along Russia's coast. Analysts suggest Lee is moving closer to Moscow, which could threaten existing support for Ukraine.


With a significance score of 5.6, this news ranks in the top 0.7% of today's 30702 analyzed articles.

Get summaries of news with significance over 5.5 (usually ~10 stories per week). Read by 10,000+ subscribers: