By The South Asia Times

SEOUL- South Korea is seeking a diplomatic resolution to its dispute with Ukraine over the disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul, while maintaining its demand for an official apology from Kyiv, the South Korean foreign ministry said Tuesday.

Seoul hopes the outstanding issues can be resolved amicably and is maintaining communication with Ukrainian officials, ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon told a press briefing, according to Yonhap News.

“The government hopes that all pending issues between the two countries will be resolved amicably,” Park said, adding that consultations with Ukraine were continuing.

The statement followed Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha’s assertion that the dispute had been resolved, in an interview with Ukrainian news outlet RBC-Ukraine published Monday.

“Everything stemmed from different interpretations of the confidentiality requirements at various stages of the transfer of the prisoners of war. Ukraine fulfilled all its obligations,” Sybiha was quoted as saying.

However, a South Korean foreign ministry official confirmed that Seoul’s demand for an apology remained in place, despite Kyiv’s position that the matter had been settled.

South Korea recalled its ambassador to Ukraine in protest over the disclosure, further straining relations between the two countries. Seoul said it was continuing diplomatic efforts while consulting with the recalled envoy.

The diplomatic row began after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed the transfer of two North Korean soldiers to South Korea during an address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York last month.

The soldiers were captured in January 2025 while fighting for Russia in the war against Ukraine. They arrived in South Korea in mid-September 2026, according to the South Korean account.

Seoul has said it reached a nondisclosure agreement with Kyiv at Ukraine’s request to protect the soldiers and their families, who remain in North Korea.

The South Korean government accused Zelenskyy of violating that arrangement and demanded an official explanation and apology.

Ukraine, however, has disputed Seoul’s account of the confidentiality arrangements. Sybiha said the disagreement arose from differing interpretations of confidentiality requirements at different stages of the transfer and maintained that Ukraine had fulfilled its obligations.

The two sides have therefore offered differing accounts of whether the disclosure breached an agreement.

Despite the disagreement, South Korea has signalled that it wants to avoid a prolonged diplomatic confrontation with Ukraine.

“Both sides are communicating to manage and resolve pending issues, and we are consulting closely with our ambassador, who has been recalled, throughout this process,” Park said.

The spokesperson added that Seoul hoped Kyiv would respond positively to its diplomatic efforts.

The dispute involves sensitive questions surrounding the treatment and transfer of North Korean personnel captured while fighting alongside Russian forces. North Korea has supplied military support to Russia during its war against Ukraine, while Ukrainian forces have captured North Korean soldiers deployed on the battlefield.

South Korea has closely monitored North Korea’s military cooperation with Moscow, which Seoul views as a security concern.

Neither government announced a new agreement to settle the dispute on Tuesday. South Korea continues to seek an apology, while Ukraine maintains that it fulfilled its obligations in transferring the two prisoners.