AdvertisementAdvertisementEast AsiaSouth Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a press conference at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, on Sep 18, 2026. (File photo: AP/Ahn Young-joon)02 Oct 2026 10:26AM (Updated: 02 Oct 2026 10:30AM) Bookmark Bookmark WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedInAdd CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results.Read a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST SEOUL: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Friday (Oct 2) Seoul would take "further measures" if Ukraine refuses to publicly apologise over what he called its unilateral disclosure of North Korean prisoners of war being sent to South Korea.Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy 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 Zelensky's remarks at the United Nations, South Korea's Lee expressed his dismay, with Seoul claiming confidentiality was key to protecting the prisoners of war's relatives from any repercussions in North Korea.Seoul later demanded an official apology from Ukraine.Show MoreShow Less"If Ukraine continues to refuse to acknowledge the facts and publicly apologise, we will take further measures," said the South Korean President on Friday, 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," Lee posted on X.Lee referred to an interview with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha published by RBC-Ukraine and other Ukrainian outlets on Thursday.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.South Korea demands apology from Ukraine over North Korean prisoners of war disclosureCNA Explains: Why is South Korea angry with Ukraine over two North Korean POWs?Source: AFP/coNewsletterWeek in ReviewSubscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in ReviewOur chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday.NewsletterMorning BriefSubscribe to CNA’s Morning BriefAn automated curation of our top stories to start your day.Sign up for our newslettersGet our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inboxSubscribe hereGet the CNA appStay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best storiesDownload hereGet WhatsApp alertsJoin our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat appJoin hereAlso worth readingContent is loading...Expand to read the full storyGet bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST