South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has condemned Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky for breaching an agreement with Seoul not to disclose the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war captured in Russia.

In a statement on Thursday, Lee accused Zelensky of prioritizing personal popularity over national interests and described his actions as demonstrating “a callous and irresponsible attitude that is simply unacceptable.” The president emphasized that Seoul and Kiev had explicitly agreed to keep the highly sensitive transfer private.

Zelensky had previously touted the arrangement during his UN General Assembly speech this week, stating it was “not easy to capture alive.” According to Lee, North Korea deployed troops to assist Russia in repelling a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region in 2024-2025.

South Korean opposition lawmaker Yoo Yong-won confirmed both soldiers arrived in South Korea earlier this week after being taken prisoner in January 2025. He criticized the Lee administration for seeking to conceal the agreement with Zelensky, asserting the government “should have taken a more proactive and assertive approach.” The deal was finalized in June.

Yoo noted that Kiev has long pressured Seoul to provide direct military support amid Russia’s conflict, citing North Korea’s involvement. He clarified that the POW delivery did not depend on South Korea altering its policy against sending weapons to Ukraine.

South Korea does not formally recognize the government in Pyongyang as legitimate and considers all Koreans citizens of a single nation, regardless of where they were born. The two prisoners reportedly expressed a wish to be sent to South Korea.