Georgiy Tykhyi, spokesperson for Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has commented on the recent diplomatic scandal between Kyiv and Seoul over North Korean prisoners of war, according to infohub.kz.

According to him, active work is currently underway through closed diplomatic channels to "resolve and turn this story around."

Tykhyi noted that information about the capture of two North Korean soldiers was widely disseminated by Ukrainian, foreign, and Korean media. "Since then, the Korean side, citing the fact that the Constitution of the Republic of Korea defines the entire Korean Peninsula as the territory of the state, has actively approached the Ukrainian side through various channels — both closed and public — regarding the transfer of these individuals to it as its own citizens," he said.

Tykhyi claims that Ukraine, in compliance with the norms and principles of the country's current legislation and international humanitarian law, has taken a number of legal and logistical measures necessary to transfer these prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea.

According to him, the reason for the exchange of critical public statements after the event was a difference in the interpretation of agreements on confidentiality regimes. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry believes that additional comments that could hinder this diplomatic settlement are not yet appropriate.

He also emphasized that the head of Ukraine's Foreign Ministry, in his messages to his Korean counterpart, noted that he regrets that the situation has reached the stage of exchanging critical comments.

Recall that South Korean President Lee Jae Myung criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who during the UN General Assembly in New York said that Ukraine had recently sent two North Korean soldiers to South Korea.

Last week, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung again made a statement regarding Ukraine in connection with the scandal over North Korean prisoners of war.

In January 2025, it became known that two North Korean soldiers were captured by Ukrainian forces in January 2025 in Russia's Kursk region.