South Korean Lawmaker Says Zelensky May Have Revealed N. Korean POW Transfer For Arms Support

Email: online@newsofbahrain.com

Kyiv: A South Korean lawmaker said on Wednesday, citing the nation's intelligence agency, that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky may have revealed the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea in an effort to gain public support in Seoul for supplying weapons and other military aid to Ukraine.

As reported by lawmaker Yoo Yeong-ha, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) thinks Zelensky may have chosen to make the transfer public in an effort to persuade South Koreans to approve more help for Ukraine.

The two North Korean soldiers were sent to fight alongside Russian forces in the Kursk region of Russia, where they were apprehended by Ukrainian forces in January 2025. They expressed a wish to live in South Korea, and in mid-September they were moved there.

Zelensky announced the move during his address to the United Nations General Assembly last week. Seoul then opposed the announcement, claiming that South Korea and Ukraine had agreed to keep the sensitive transfer discreet due to potential hazards to the soldiers and their families in North Korea. Ukraine has contested Seoul's description of the arrangement.

Yoo also stated that the NIS found no agreement or guarantee from South Korea to give military aid to Ukraine in exchange for receiving the two inmates. Seoul has supplied humanitarian and non-lethal aid to Kyiv, but has abstained from delivering weaponry.

The news has heightened diplomatic tensions between Seoul and Kyiv, with South Korean officials demanding an explanation and an apology from Ukraine. The incident also comes as fears increase over North Korea's military backing for Russia, which includes the deployment of hundreds of North Korean troops into the fight.