South Korea has summoned Ukraine’s envoy over the disclosure that two captured North Korean soldiers had been sent to South Korea, according to information in a BBC report. The diplomatic move follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s revelation last week about the transfer.
Seoul said the arrangement was intended to remain secret. The disclosure has therefore prompted South Korean officials to seek answers from Ukraine over the decision to make the transfer public.
The two individuals were described as captured North Koreans. The available information does not provide further details about where they were captured, when they arrived in South Korea, or the circumstances surrounding their transfer.
Zelensky’s announcement last week brought the matter into the public domain. South Korea’s response, including the summoning of Ukraine’s envoy, indicates that the handling of the information has become a diplomatic issue between the two countries.
At this time, the known facts are limited to the disclosure of the two captured North Koreans’ transfer to South Korea, Seoul’s view that the matter was supposed to remain secret, and its decision to summon the Ukrainian envoy.
