‘Will take additional measures’: South Korea warns Ukraine as North Korean POW row escalates

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday warned of unspecified “additional actions” against Ukraine unless Kyiv acknowledges what Seoul describes as a “confidentiality agreement” concerning the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers and issues an apology.Also Read: South Korea accuses Ukraine of breaching secrecy over North Korean POW transfer“If the refusal to acknowledge the facts and issue a public apology continues, we will take additional measures,” Lee wrote on X.He also voiced “grave regret” over what he described as Ukrainian remarks suggesting an imminent military confrontation between North and South Korea, saying such comments amounted to encouraging conflict on the Korean Peninsula.Seoul and Kyiv have been embroiled in a diplomatic dispute since Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced at the United Nations General Assembly last month that Ukraine had transferred two North Korean prisoners of war, captured while fighting alongside Russian forces, to South Korea.Seoul later accused Kyiv of breaching an agreement to keep the transfer confidential to protect the soldiers, while Ukrainian officials denied that any such agreement had been reached.

Ukraine says seeking to mend ties with South Korea

Meanwhile, Ukrainian media reported on Thursday that Kyiv was seeking to repair relations with South Korea, citing Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha.“I would not like to call this an incident. Let’s say it is a diplomatic misunderstanding,” Sybiha told journalists at an event.Also Read: South Korea accuses Ukraine of breaching secrecy over North Korean POW transferThe dispute comes at a sensitive time for Lee’s administration, which has been seeking to ease tensions with North Korea while also grappling with the political fallout from a recent landmine incident in the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas.(With Reuters inputs)