S. Korea Isn't Happy Zelensky Told World About POWs

Ukraine's transfer of two captured North Korean POWs to South Korea had been a hush-hush affair—until Volodymyr Zelensky told the world in a UN speech last week. The POWs, identified only as Paek and Ri, were captured in January while fighting for Russia in the Kursk region, part of an estimated 12,000-strong North Korean contingent sent to bolster Moscow, reports the Wall Street Journal. "These guys aren't easy to capture alive," said Zelensky, a reference to the training of North Korean soldiers to kill themselves rather than be taken captive.

Zelensky's public reveal of the transfer to Seoul has drawn an angry response, with South Korea's foreign ministry summoning the Ukrainian ambassador on Monday to condemn the move, per Reuters. South Korean officials say Zelensky breached a confidentiality deal and endangered the men, but Kyiv officials say no such deal existed. The dispute threatens to complicate ties with a key Asian backer of Ukraine, which has supplied artillery and pledged more than $3 billion in aid. The Journal, meanwhile, has photos of POW Paek, who said of South Korea in an interview, "At the end of the day, we are one nation."