Parties clash over secret repatriation of North Korean POWs from Ukraine
Rep. Jeong Jeom-sig, center, floor leader of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), speaks during the party's meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
Ruling and opposition parties clashed over the government’s decision to keep the repatriation of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) from Ukraine confidential. After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed the arrangement, the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) questioned whether Seoul had been too concerned about provoking Pyongyang.
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) defended the decision, saying it was necessary to protect the two men and safeguard national security.
President Lee Jae Myung expressed regret over Kyiv’s disclosure, saying Zelenskyy had broken a bilateral agreement to keep the transfer confidential. Lee also criticized opposition politicians for questioning the government's decision, saying those who jeopardize lives and national security for the sake of taking credit are "murderers and traitors."
DPK spokesperson Shin Hyun-young defended the government's approach, saying its priority was to protect the two former North Korean soldiers.
"(President Zelenskyy's disclosure) was an act that betrayed trust between the two countries and was dangerous from a national security perspective," she said.
Shin urged Ukraine to explain the circumstances surrounding the disclosure and cooperate on measures to protect the two men.
"The Lee Jae Myung administration has absolutely no intention of boasting about or politically exploiting the repatriation of the North Korean POWs," she said, warning the PPP not to turn the issue into a political dispute.
“We urge restraint in seeking disclosures that could reveal their identities or protection details, and in raising unfounded suspicions, and call for cooperation to ensure their safety.”
The PPP, however, demanded an explanation for the government's decision to keep the repatriation confidential.
“The repatriation of the North Korean POWs is a matter of timing, but it is right to make it public. Even so, why did the government suddenly insist on keeping it confidential? Was it really that afraid of offending Kim Jong-un?” PPP floor leader Rep. Jeong Jeom-sig said on social media.
He also criticized Lee for using terms such as murderers and traitors against those who questioned the government's handling of the matter, saying the government was begging the North Korean regime for a “false peace.”
Other PPP lawmakers, including Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo and Rep. Kim Yong-tae, also argued Korea should have disclosed the transfer independently rather than appearing overly concerned about antagonizing Pyongyang.
“If we cannot even independently disclose the repatriation of the POWs because we are worried about North Korea, then we are not a country,” Ahn said on social media.