Ukraine-South Korea row deepens after Seoul accuses Kyiv of disclosing POW deal

A diplomatic dispute between Ukraine and South Korea has intensified after Seoul accused Kyiv of undermining its president by disclosing details of a deal involving the transfer of captured North Korean prisoners of war, according to a report by Al Jazeera.

South Korean officials said the disclosure complicated the government's handling of a sensitive matter tied to North Korean troops captured while fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.

Tensions over a sensitive POW issue

Neither government has published the full details of the transfer arrangement at the center of the dispute, and it remains unclear exactly what information Ukraine is accused of disclosing without coordination.

The dispute adds to the complicated diplomatic position South Korea occupies, given its indirect connection to the war through the presence of North Korean forces on Russia's side, while Seoul has sought to avoid direct entanglement in the conflict.

Ukrainian officials have not issued a detailed public response to the South Korean accusations as described in the report.

The row comes at a sensitive moment in relations between Kyiv and Seoul, which has provided Ukraine with humanitarian and non-lethal support during the war without supplying direct lethal aid.