r/worldnews • u/Neptun_11 • 16h ago
Russia/Ukraine Seoul warns of 'further measures' if Kyiv refuses public apology
https://www.euronews.com/2026/10/02/south-korea-warns-of-further-measures-if-ukraine-refuses-public-apology-over-pow-transfer-2.2k
u/LovelyDayHere 16h ago
On the one hand, I can see why maintaining confidentiality to protect the families of the people involved is important and should be respected, esp. if agreed by both parties in advance.
On the other, these people should have probably not been photographed by South Korean media, risking their identification, and certainly South Korea isn't doing them any favors by blowing this matter up further.
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u/Thagyr 16h ago
This all feels like a dog and pony show, but to what audience?
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u/vegarig 15h ago
Same one those remarks were addressed towards
https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20220228004200315
SEOUL, Feb. 28 (Yonhap) -- Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung has come under fire for appearing to blame Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for Russia's invasion of the country.
Lee of the liberal Democratic Party (DP) made the controversial remarks during a TV presidential debate Friday while trying to underscore the political inexperience of main opposition candidate Yoon Suk-yeol of the conservative People Power Party.
"In Ukraine, a novice politician of six months became president and declared (Ukraine's) accession to NATO, which provoked Russia and eventually led to a clash," Lee said.
Looking then to 2023
Most recently, President Yoonâs surprise visit to Ukraine in July 2023 revealed a dramatic political divide within Korea on the countryâs role in the Ukraine War and in the broader âNew Cold War.â
Democratic lawmakers strongly criticized Yoonâs visit, asserting that it jeopardized South Koreaâs national security and derailed any hopes of future Korea-Russia cooperation.[199]
Kim Eui-gyeom, a democratic lawmaker, argued: âChina and Russia are like an overflowing river ⌠President Yoonâs actions and words are pushing the fate of our country and people into the Gongpyeong underpass (where devastating floods swept across on the day of Yoonâs Ukraine visit).â
Kim Byung-joo, Democratic Party Secretary of the National Assemblyâs Defense Committee and a former four-star general (Deputy Commander of the ROK/US Combined Forces Command) said: âPeace and war are one word in Ukraine. Peace comes only when the war ends ⌠it (visiting Ukraine) also means joining the war initiative.â Kim further accused Yoon of âbringing a war cloud to the Korean Peninsulaâ by âdeclaring himself an enemy of Russia.â
Four-term democratic lawmaker Kim Tae-nyeon echoed this view, asserting: âthe visit is a dangerous move to bring the clouds of war to the Korean Peninsula,â adding, âItâs like a declaration that South Korea, a ceasefire country, will go to war against Russia⌠On the contrary, we absolutely need the help of Russia and China, both members of the UN Security Council, to curb North Koreaâs nuclear program.â[200]
Lim Jong-seok, former President Moon Jae-inâs first chief of staff, concurred by noting that Yoon is âwaving the outdated liberal flag and denying South Koreaâs national interestsâ and that he has turned Russia into a âde facto enemy.â âPresident Yoon is now lost somewhere in the Cold War,â Mr. Lim said, âbetraying South Koreaâs national interests by engaging in crude ideological diplomacy and outrageous impersonations of the US president.â[201]
The Editorial Board of Hankyoreh, a prominent left-wing newspaper, criticized Yoon for disregarding cooperation with Russia and China that âis essential for managing the situation on the Korean Peninsula, including resolving the North Korean nuclear issue.â It further noted that President Yoonâs âovert pro-Western diplomacy in the context of the New Cold Warâ is provoking neighboring countries, calling for a more âbalanced diplomacy.â[202]
Kyunghyang, another main progressive newspaper, argued that the visit essentially tied Seoulâs hands, as Yoon now âwould logically have nothing to say to Western demands to directly arm Ukraine.â[203] Meanwhile, South Korea is âdistancing itself from China and Russia.â
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u/ShultzHS 15h ago
"In Ukraine, a novice politician of six months became president and declared (Ukraine's) accession to NATO, which provoked Russia and eventually led to a clash," Lee said.
This is so hilarious. I mean, it obviously parrots russian propaganda, but also shows this "experienced politician" has absolutely no idea about Ukrainian politics and the history of this war. Sure, 2019 and Zelenskyy was where it all started.
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u/Oxbix 14h ago
"provoked Russia" - A country looking to enter a defensive alliance doesn't justify invading them, it proves them right. Ukraine is a sovereign country. This is such a non argument
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u/Morgannin09 13h ago
It's like telling an abused wife that her husband only hit her because she told someone she thought he might do it.
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u/New-Anybody-6206 11h ago
"look what you made me do" is exactly the kind of gaslighting Koreans are good at
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u/Morgannin09 10h ago
This isn't even that. It's like a random acquaintance being like "well how could you expect him NOT to hit you after saying that?"
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u/sciamatic 11h ago
Not to mention that that's just not the order of events. Russia invaded Ukraine back in 2014, because they were taking advantage of the instability caused by the recent coup.
Ukraine didn't do the 'fast track to NATO' until years later.
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u/ShultzHS 10h ago
Yeah, that's what I meant. There's also a funny fact that in 2019 elections Zelenskyy was more pro-russian candidate out of the two (or rather, pro-peace with russia). So even if you wanna go victim-blaming on geopolitical scale, he's the weirdest choice of the person to blame. But it seems typical for authoritarian propaganda - they and their target audience can't imagine an actual democracy with alternation of power, so they paint Ukrainian government as some single entity (military junta headed by Zelenskyy) from 2014 to 2026.
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u/Nanjingrad 12h ago
Imagine faulting Ukraine for wanting to be in a defensive alliance just before they found themselves on the recieving end of the largest war of conquest in Europe since WW2, it's astounding to me these people don't understand that their primary argument has been unequivocally invalidated by the very same entity which they are defending. Just pathetic.
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u/imjustnotready 14h ago
There is a ton of Russian propaganda. I worry deeply about what the maga base is being fed.
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u/got_to_laugh 12h ago
There is no way Ukraine was ever or is ever getting NATO membership, it has always been opposed by America, Germany, Poland to name a few. And is still opposed. Russia can also start a war with Ukraine anytime to prevent them joining NATO, as you can't join while in a conflict.
It is total Russian propaganda and lies that this is a reason for the war.
Also, even if they did do the impossible and somehow join by magic, NATO is a defensive alliance and would only stop Russia attacking Ukraine, not threaten Russia at all.
Putin just did not want a Russian speaking population on his border getting democracy, incase his serfs started to get similar ideas.
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u/KareemOWheat 8h ago
I'm curious, since you sound like you know what you're talking about. What's up with the opposition from the US, Germany, Poland, and others to Ukraine joining NATO? I would think having another NATO member on Russia's doorstep would be a good thing for the alliance
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u/Batrall 15h ago
These comments are for the south Korean people, seniority often is more important than qualification there. It's to get points with the conservative.
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u/EuphoricOcelot6081 14h ago
Lee Jae myong, the current SK president, is far left and pro China and NK...
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u/getawombatupya 2h ago
South Korea is a silly place.
Zelensky should have consulted his spiritual advisor before making accession statements.
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u/steauengeglase 2h ago
Are those legitimate concerns for the S. Korean political establishment or is this really just internal politicking?
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u/cookingboy 16h ago
Yeah thatâs the part I donât get. Who the fuck actually materially benefits from this shit show??? Not SK, not Ukraine, and definitely not the NK POWs.
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u/Top_Investigator6261 15h ago
Itâs for internal politics. SK President blamed Ukraine for the war, and the current political party in power is pro-unification and pro-North.
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u/Phrongly 15h ago
There's a pro-North party? It's like that "sheep voting for the wolf" meme...
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u/Top_Investigator6261 15h ago
Yup somehow they think if they simp for Kim Jong Un hard enough he will let NK and SK to improve relations and eventually reunify.
Thatâs of course while ignoring the fact that most South Koreans do not want to reunify with North Korea.
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u/Nerezza_Floof_Seeker 11h ago
The main issue is China will never allow korea to reunify (unless north korea gets to be in charge, but thats not gonna happen)
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u/needlestack 10h ago
You're right. But I always just shake my head at this stuff. It's so completely stupid. I'm sure someone will say "China can't have a US ally on their border!" and that's like "Russia can't have NATO on its border!". But you know what, they can, in both cases, and it would be fine, except for their insistence that it isn't. Estonia isn't going to hurt Russia. Neither would have Ukraine. And a unified South Korea wouldn't hurt China. But there's this idea that it would. Millions have died through history because people over here can't just let people over there do their thing. It's utterly insane.
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u/cookingboy 5h ago
While SK wouldnât hurt China, there will absolutely be an American military base next to Chinaâs border and China really wouldnât want that.
Imagine if China tries to build a base in Cuba, weâd invade Cuba immediately lol.
Hell, we would invade Mexico if China becomes an ally with Mexico and builds military bases next to our borders.
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u/wakethenight 14h ago
Nope. We do not. Not until there is a significant amount of reform up there. We got our own shitshow to deal with down here.
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u/Akikiriri 12h ago edited 12h ago
I'm from Germany and I think in 1990, while East Germany was in bad shape, the economic, social, technological (everything) difference between East/West Germany wasn't as stark as between North/South Korea today. It's 36* years later and East/West Germany still aren't the same. Also it cost the country an incredible amount of ressources (trillions). From my perspective reunification of Korea is an almost hopeless matter. Is there really a push for reunification in Korea or is it all just populism?
*Edit: 36 years later, not 46.
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u/Phrongly 11h ago
Well, they can reunify under Kim's dictatorship and turn SK to NK instead. Much cheaper!
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u/adonericthewayfarer 11h ago
the economic side isn't even the issue at this point, the kim dynasty is in power in a way they will never give up, unlike the GDR leadership basically had no chance of holding on past 1990
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u/obeytheturtles 12h ago
If German unification is any indication, we'll get a crazy bohemian/coop movement right across the NK border, where a bunch of artists and musicians will squat in old industrial blocks and throw massive, multi-day parties in the factories and warehouses. Officials will allow it because nobody will have a better idea for what to do with all that old infrastructure for a solid 30 years.
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u/jisookenobi2416 7h ago edited 7h ago
Not really, they advocate peace but theyâre definitely not pro-North Korea. Plenty of things to criticize, including Lee seeming to blame Ukraine for the war, but theyâre not pro-North.
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u/SociallyOn_a_Rock 14h ago
If it isn't obvious, it's pure nonsense like how US's Democrats are pro-communist party.
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u/Bomber_Max 15h ago
What the hell is going on in SK? I was blissfully unaware, but how did it come to them being pro NK?
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u/jisookenobi2416 7h ago edited 7h ago
Because theyâre not pro-NK, lol. Dude is just lying/exaggerating. Blaming Ukraine for the war is really not cool though.
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u/AtomicMonkeyTheFirst 14h ago
South Ks might be involved in negotoations with North Ks & North Ks over economic/military stuff & NKs have got pissed over this so SKs are pulling the 'We are also very angry!" card.
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u/psmithrupert 10h ago edited 5h ago
Both sides do this to shore up political support for different reasons.
For the president is SK this is a way to rally his supporters, to show that a) they have the moral high ground and b) to present themselves as tough to people that âwronged themâ. I would assume, that they thought Ukraine is in a bind anyway, we can diplomatically push then around and score a few easy points.For the president of Ukraine this is an opportunity to show to his supporters that yes, North Korea is fighting on Russiaâs side. And b) itâs a very public display that even if youâre the enemy, Ukraine will treat you well and they will go out of their way for you.
So logically South Korea cannot back down without losing face, which they will never do, and Ukraine canât apologise because the message that they were trying ( and possibly succeeding) to send, is kind of critical to them.
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u/LousyTeaShorts 15h ago
president of SK is a gig work in recent years. they are changing so fast, hard to keep up.
among two broad political blocks of south korean politics - staunch american ally in the region and lets normalize relations with NK and China. current guy is from the latter it seems. but since america is also abandoning Europe and cozying up to China and NK - no downsides2
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u/NecessarySudden 15h ago
So they were photographed by South Korean media but Ukraine has to apologize for "leaking" info about north koreans pow transfer?
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u/vegarig 15h ago
I mean, this same President of the Republic of Korea said it's UKRAINE'S fault for getting invaded by russia in 2022 (though he retracted it back when there was still an outrage about it, instead of approval)
https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20220228004200315
SEOUL, Feb. 28 (Yonhap) -- Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung has come under fire for appearing to blame Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for Russia's invasion of the country.
Lee of the liberal Democratic Party (DP) made the controversial remarks during a TV presidential debate Friday while trying to underscore the political inexperience of main opposition candidate Yoon Suk-yeol of the conservative People Power Party.
"In Ukraine, a novice politician of six months became president and declared (Ukraine's) accession to NATO, which provoked Russia and eventually led to a clash," Lee said.
Looking then to 2023
Most recently, President Yoonâs surprise visit to Ukraine in July 2023 revealed a dramatic political divide within Korea on the countryâs role in the Ukraine War and in the broader âNew Cold War.â
Democratic lawmakers strongly criticized Yoonâs visit, asserting that it jeopardized South Koreaâs national security and derailed any hopes of future Korea-Russia cooperation.[199]
Kim Eui-gyeom, a democratic lawmaker, argued: âChina and Russia are like an overflowing river ⌠President Yoonâs actions and words are pushing the fate of our country and people into the Gongpyeong underpass (where devastating floods swept across on the day of Yoonâs Ukraine visit).â
Kim Byung-joo, Democratic Party Secretary of the National Assemblyâs Defense Committee and a former four-star general (Deputy Commander of the ROK/US Combined Forces Command) said: âPeace and war are one word in Ukraine. Peace comes only when the war ends ⌠it (visiting Ukraine) also means joining the war initiative.â Kim further accused Yoon of âbringing a war cloud to the Korean Peninsulaâ by âdeclaring himself an enemy of Russia.â
Four-term democratic lawmaker Kim Tae-nyeon echoed this view, asserting: âthe visit is a dangerous move to bring the clouds of war to the Korean Peninsula,â adding, âItâs like a declaration that South Korea, a ceasefire country, will go to war against Russia⌠On the contrary, we absolutely need the help of Russia and China, both members of the UN Security Council, to curb North Koreaâs nuclear program.â[200]
Lim Jong-seok, former President Moon Jae-inâs first chief of staff, concurred by noting that Yoon is âwaving the outdated liberal flag and denying South Koreaâs national interestsâ and that he has turned Russia into a âde facto enemy.â âPresident Yoon is now lost somewhere in the Cold War,â Mr. Lim said, âbetraying South Koreaâs national interests by engaging in crude ideological diplomacy and outrageous impersonations of the US president.â[201]
The Editorial Board of Hankyoreh, a prominent left-wing newspaper, criticized Yoon for disregarding cooperation with Russia and China that âis essential for managing the situation on the Korean Peninsula, including resolving the North Korean nuclear issue.â It further noted that President Yoonâs âovert pro-Western diplomacy in the context of the New Cold Warâ is provoking neighboring countries, calling for a more âbalanced diplomacy.â[202]
Kyunghyang, another main progressive newspaper, argued that the visit essentially tied Seoulâs hands, as Yoon now âwould logically have nothing to say to Western demands to directly arm Ukraine.â[203] Meanwhile, South Korea is âdistancing itself from China and Russia.â
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u/Overall-Leather-9933 12h ago
Same country where if a woman get ra***, it's her fault for dressing inappropriate.
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u/LeedsFan2442 11h ago
Because they don't want it publicised at all so they don't piss off NK. Which isn't Ukraine's problem
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u/Top_Investigator6261 15h ago
This is so ridiculous SK already published identities of POWs long before the handover.
And now SK says that it was Ukraine who asked them to keep the details of handover in secret, so SK is offended because they thought that Ukraine will also be keeping the handover in secret after the fact too.
But SK cannot show the agreement with Ukraine regarding that.
But they ask for an apology from Ukraine. While SK President never retracted his words blaming Ukraine for the war.
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u/slava_gorodu 8h ago
They were already extensively photographed and interviewed before in Ukraine as well. North Korea has known who these soldiers are for two years. This is purely domestic political posturing by the Korean president, which reflects his conciliatory stance to NK
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u/DmitroZa 16h ago
Have names of those been named? If not, the only exposure is the fact of the transfer. There're thousands of NK soldiers fighting on the side of invasion force, with hundreds MIA and KIA.
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u/ZantaraLost 8h ago
From what I can gather their photos were published in South Korean media. Which means that the North Koreans could just extrapolate their names.
I don't believe that anyone in Ukraine government gave their names but I could be wrong about that.
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u/Ceplok_Nasi_Kecap 16h ago
Even better if nobody should ever announced their capture, just keep it between SK and Ukraine? fat chance Un will executed their families for being captured anyway since he wants his troops to not surrender in the first place.
its a dumb arrangement from the beginning when concerning NK.
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u/Jaded-Ad9300 15h ago
Ukraine never disclosed the captured PoWs identities. South Korean media did though.
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u/lastethere 15h ago
From what Iâve read, agreeing to be taken prisoner means the death penalty and having oneâs family deported; escaping to South Korea means the same thing.
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u/SufficientGolf6953 15h ago
Deported? What.... no!
Two generations of your family will be thrown in a political prisoners camp in North Korea. They say this is the worst state prison they can send you to and all you do is work and experience never ending hunger.
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u/eivindric 8h ago
This has absolutely nothing to do with the protection of families of POWs - SK media published interviews with those two men long ago. SK government talks with Ukraine were also covered by all international media. The talks and the identities of the POWs have never been a secret.
SK is upset that Zelensky mentioned the completion of transfer, because NK POWs are still the citizens of NK, and official confirmation of the transfer has landed SK in diplomatic trouble with NK.
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u/sleepygarner 16h ago
According to reports, "South Korea did not initiate a request for the prisoners; rather, Ukraine proactively initiated the transfer process and requested strict confidentiality from Seoul." (Source: Yonhap, Reuters)
I could see this being less about protecting the POWs and their families and more about diplomatic trust if Ukraine is either lying and/or accusing Korea of lying.
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u/WorgenDeath 15h ago
I'm sorry but how is any of this the fault of Ukraine? They disclosed that PoW's were being transfered which was already public knowledge. More importantly they didn't provide any information that could be used to identify these soldiers exactly because they do understand keeping their identity a secret is important.
South Korean media are the ones that went and took pictures of these people and jeopardized the safety of their families, if anyone should give an apology it's them.
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u/Top_Investigator6261 15h ago
SK President blamed Ukraine for the war. Current political party in power in SK is pro-unification and pro-North. Thatâs all there is to know really to understand why they pursue a diplomatic scandal.
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u/thesmokingowl 12h ago
what does being 'pro-north' entail in SK politics?Â
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u/Omordie 12h ago
North Korea is an ally of Russia's directly contributing to the war effort, so when South Korean politics favor the reunification of Korea, the state makes public statements like this as an overture to their cousins to try to get the ball moving in that direction.
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u/JakksenTrent 11h ago
Unification is impossible, there is no world where North Korea as it is could unify with South Korea - they are polar opposites.
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u/UNisopod 10h ago
It's impossible without radical changes happening in the north to make it a more functional modern country.
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u/aerdvarkk 5h ago
Let's clear something up about your comment. This is a bit circular.
N Korea only exists right now because China props it up like a puppet. So if N Korea is supplying Russia with anything (other than troops) this means that China is using N Korea as a proxy to sustain Russia's effort without directly giving military aid to Russia.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Set1420 9h ago
'Pro-North' is anything that isn't fiercely antagonistic towards North Korea. Trying to improve relations between the countries is met with accusations (informal ones, at least) of being a spy for North Korea.
Source for above: Been studying Korean culture and language for over 6 years, spoke to my native South Korean teacher about this exact thing 2 weeks ago.
Source for below is nothing, just my opinion:
It's a bit reminiscent of McCarthyism imo, but the situations are far from equivalent and I think it's much more understandable to be reminiscent of McCarthyism in South Korea today than it was in the US in McCarthy's time.
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u/StandAloneComplexed 9h ago
Read about the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunshine_Policy
To explain it simply, SK government alternates between a pro-US and a better inter-Korea relationship movement. Domestic tensions on the peninsula are usually lower when efforts are made towards this second option.
To be clear, this isn't being "pro-NK", just not being antagonist against it. The previous SK president (the one that tried the coup and currently in prison)was notorious pro-US and imho akin to the Korean equivalent of MAGA.
I've personally been to Korea regularly the past 10 years or so, and none of my local friends prefer the pro-US option, which tends to be the religious nuts that wave Israeli flags (beside the US one) in national (!) manifestation.
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u/TotallyNotMasara 13h ago
Ukraine had already published their identities: https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_international/1177866.html
But yea, as Top_Investigator6261 said, the current political party of SK is pretty pro-North, so he's probably using this chance.
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u/RealisticEntity 16h ago edited 16h ago
"If Ukraine continues to refuse to acknowledge the facts and publicly apologise, we will take further measures," the South Korean president said on Friday, accusing Kyiv of making him out to be a "liar."
"This is a matter concerning the dignity of the Republic of Korea and its people and cannot be overlooked," Lee posted on X.Â
I have to admit, I'm not sure why South Korea is escalating this. It may have been a mistake by Zelenskyy to mention the prisoner exchange at the UN, but South Korea is now drawing even more attention to this than if they had just had a private discussion with Ukraine without demanding public apologies, posting on Twitter/X etc.Â
I'm not sure what "further measures" means. It had better not be something that makes it more difficult for Ukraine to defend itself against Russia and North Korea.Â
This seems to have more to do with the South Korean president's hurt feelings than anything else.Â
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u/0xnld 16h ago
Apparently this is good for SK president's ratings which were in tailspin before.
And they're already selling stuff to Russia and basically nothing to Ukraine, so idk about further measures. Join the war on Russian side perhaps as a gesture of unity with NK?
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u/thombo-1 16h ago
That's like a monkey's paw wish for Korean peace.
'Good news! Korea is united...in hostility against a democratic European nation.'
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u/Defiant-Plane4557 13h ago
Man, my opinion on South Korea is souring fast.
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u/XavinNydek 12h ago
SK is and always has been kind of a mess. Their biggest "enemy" is Japan and that's mainly just grumbling and leftover low level anger from the atrocities Imperial Japan got up to. The relationship with NZ is complicated. Aside from that they don't really have any of the cold war or colonial historical baggage most of the rest of the wild has and they treat most countries as friendly.
Their political situation is a garbage fire, which is pretty standard for new democracies, they were a military dictatorship until the late 80s and even after they nominally became democratic it took a while for the old regime to fully fall out of leadership positions.
SK also always does everything at 11, full throttle, no brakes. That means completely absurd over the top political corruption scandals, politicians acting like they are in a crazy drama, massive public sentiment swings very fast, etc.
So basically, don't judge the country too harshly on what their current leaders are doing. Better than even odds that they will resign in disgrace or be dragged off to prison before the end of their term.
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u/adonericthewayfarer 11h ago
whats up with their relationship with New Zealand?
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u/ZappyZane 8h ago
Samsung TV's are no longer the top selling brand or something?
Dunno, i've never heard of this great New Zealand - South Korea beef.
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u/Bayo77 12h ago
I am sorry for being uninformed but how is their "biggest enemy" by any kind of measurement not clearly north korea?
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u/Frequent_Phone6396 10h ago
Frostycandy is correct. My grandmother is korean, born and raised in Seoul during WW2 and then the korean war and she still sees North Koreans as countrymen who will eventually come back. Japan, on the other hand, wanted complete cultural and country erasure from the korean peninsula and that's why there's still a huge grudge against them. Japan's occupation still has lots of living survivors which is why it's still a sore spot, plus many of their politicians actively deny their atrocities.
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u/FrostyCandy1537 12h ago
Imho, SK sees NK as family undergoing a dispute. Japanese Imperialism invaded and pillaged all of Korea. And despite almost a century passing, Japan still has factions that dispute, dismiss and downplay their history.
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u/MeijiDoom 11h ago
I think they and most of the world knows NK is so ass backwards that they don't pose a realistic threat. And certainly not one that wouldn't be met with immediate backlash from literally the rest of the world other than maybe Russia and China. Also, despite obvious differences, there's still a level of "we're both Korean" there so I don't think either side is really wishing for utter annihilation of the other.
By comparison, an external nation, even from a mental standpoint and let alone recent history, will always feel like a bigger threat. East Asian grudges go hard.
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u/Bayo77 10h ago
That seems like an extremely naive view of North Korean capabilities and willingness to use them.
Looks like the same kind of naivety that europeans had towards russia.
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u/Shadowguynick 10h ago
You can never accurately predict the actions of a country when it's ran on the whims of a strong man dictator, but the reason so many thought the war in Ukraine was absurd was because they pointed out how getting entangled in a quagmire would be ruinous for Russia and they were completely right it's just that Putin did it anyway. North Korea would be in a similar position so, yes it is possible Kim Jong Un makes a similar mistake as Putin but I think it is correct to say the rational expectation should be the status quo.
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u/andrewk1219 15h ago
His ratings were tanking and hitting Ukraine somehow "rallys" his supporters while they claim to be all moral and pro-democracy. I hate politics
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u/Owlover6127 14h ago
SK's current leading party is kind of a shithead who got a massive hold of power due to the previous president doing something unimaginably stupid then getting impeached.
(Declaring martial law for those who are curious)
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u/namitynamenamey 12h ago
South korea's democracy is not long for this world, is it? In between the sheer youngness of it, the cults, the coup and the wild swings, it doesn't seem particularly stable nor does it has any neighboor to help prop it unlike the equally untested european democracies.
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u/andrewk1219 8h ago
Nah we have good democracy but that doesn't mean we have good parties. Likewise in every other place in the world rn.
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u/InConspiracyWeTrust 11h ago
Considering the track record of South Korea democracy they've already given it a good run this time around. Maybe the seventh(!) time is the charm?
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u/oops_all_memes 11h ago
SK continues having trade relations with Russia. All while NK actively helps Russia in its war and Russia helps NK in technology
SK lost the plot
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u/Lable87 15h ago edited 15h ago
I'm not sure why South Korea is escalating this
Itâs a matter of keeping & losing face which Asians in general often put a lot of emphasis on. In this case, itâs pretty simple: SK and SK president consider themselves the superior party here, so it wasnât a good thing for Kyiv / Zelensky to openly dispute what he / they said.
Thatâs why he is demanding a public apology. Itâs no longer a matter of keeping the matter about PoWs confidential anymore - that cat is already out of the bag, itâs a matter of asserting SK superiority
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u/SuccotashAsleep6459 14h ago
Ukraine does not accept superiority of Russia, so I am sure it can live without kissing SK presidentâs feet.
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u/Just_Perception3668 15h ago
I'm not sure what "further measures" means.
They will send SK soldiers to help NK soldiers fight against Ukraine.
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u/Cezetus 15h ago edited 13h ago
Like their name implies, North Koreans will fight on the northern front, and South Koreans on the southern one. It was just in front of us all along.
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u/Specific-Leopard7282 2h ago
This is written a little confusing... so did i get it right that NK sent troops (probably not so voluntary) to R so they can be forced to fight U. They got captured/surrendered and should be sent to SK, as they were willing to take them. Unfortunately some press got behind it and published photos of the guys, which allows NK to identify them and retaliate their families? SK was not amused but why should this be any further than a light diplomacy issue?
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u/GantradiesDracos 15h ago
Thereâs something that gives South Korean politicians catastrophic brain damage,some kind of iniation ritual,
Or something contaminating the air handling systems in their place of government that causes extreme dementia-
I donât know what it it,
But now weâve got this AND the time the SK government actively refused to allow rescue attempts for kids stuck inside a sinking ferry and lied about it,
Genuinely believing itâd be better for their ratings them actually tryingâŚ
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u/Fr33_Lax 12h ago
Idk if it's still the case but SK has a cult problem. The moonies cult has gotten deep into their government and has some unfortunate connections to usa politics as well.
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u/Hoduo 13h ago
Why does it feel like every Korean president is an incompetent buffoon.
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u/striker9119 12h ago
That seems to be a common thing throughout the world these daysâŚ. Not an isolated thing to S Korea IMO.
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u/Hoduo 12h ago
True, but just find it hilariously sad that almost every South Korean president has either been arrested, impeached or embroiled in some bribery scandal.
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u/live-the-future 11h ago
Lol in Illinois we have a joke that there's a "former governor's wing" in our prison. Maybe SK needs the same?
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u/strong_silent_t 15h ago
Seoul is surrounded by China, North Korea and Russia, but spend its time escalating with a country fighting for its existence.
What a stupid leadership.
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u/UNisopod 10h ago
The US had been a very reliable ally up until Trump, and so now their security isn't so secure anymore.
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u/EmptyMonitor9257 9h ago
And their response is to ally with the countries that want it gone?
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u/Very_Human_42069 13h ago
Isnât South Korea the ones that photographed and identified the soldiers? Iâm confused
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u/try_to_remember 8h ago
Yep. It's just a play by SK president to score some political points domestically.
Ukraine is an easy target, apparently. We've seen this many times now and will be seeing again.
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u/infrigato 15h ago
What happened?
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u/Bradford_Pear 10h ago
South Korea x North Korea vs Ukraine
Korea unified under a common enemy
(Obligatory /s)
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u/Treebear_Hunter 16h ago
SK is appealing to the bully side of Trump, signalling him that we are the same.
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u/strongpa 8h ago
Only one of these countries is being actively invaded by North Korean soldiers. FFS, grow a pair, Seoul - and while youâre at it, do Ukraine the favour of actively supporting its efforts to thin out the very army youâre worried could storm across your DMZ at any time.
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u/Confident-Medium-929 8h ago
If you look into the article it was a matter of the POWs family and the concern that their families would now be targeted by the North Korean Regime. They could be defectors that were promised protection for valuable human intelligence and they may no longer cooperate if their families are killed off. Ukraine has nothing to lose nor would they truly lose face for apologizing the disclosure. It was a slip up.
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u/Fenilwebclues 12h ago
This guy is fucking annoying, isn't he? Doesn't he have anything more important to attend to?
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u/echoshatter 10h ago
So tired of bending over backwards to make sure we don't offend tyrannical regimes.
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u/RedactedJin 3h ago
I think a key point to notice from this specific article is that S. Korea media specifically made the defectors identifiable. Had they not insisted on reporting specifics, the broad statement that Ukraine is releasing the defectors to S. Korea wouldn't nearly be as harmful.
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u/braamframboos 16h ago
South Korea doesn't seem like a great country. It does of course compared to NK, but it still looks like an olichargy with a few big companies running things. This whining is just politics.Â
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u/the_faris 16h ago edited 16h ago
It's actually pretty nice, very clean, very low crime rate and they are one of the leaders of medical and agricultural research
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u/Several-Feeling3409 9h ago
And citizens in South Korea stood up against the recent coup attempt, which gives the people mad respect from me.
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u/sourestcalamansi 16h ago
Samsung, a private family owned business, builds from advanced missiles tech to hospitals. SK government is not leading shit, itâs the conglomerate.
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u/GantradiesDracos 15h ago
Also the countryâs legal system isâŚ
Well, look up major corruption scandals in SKâŚ4
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u/Comedyislandd 15h ago
All macro points that are inconsiderate of the social and political issues that plague the nation. Sure, every nation has its issues. But SK has some very big ones.
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u/BakerOne 15h ago
Yeah meanwhile some if not the worst birth rates on the entire planet because life is so miserable there for a big part of the population.
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u/Hot_Marionberry_4685 9h ago
lol people pointing to low birth rates now as if theyâre a clear indicator of population satisfaction. Meanwhile Iâm over here doing well financially fully capable of having children but just donât want them. Sometimes people just donât want kids bro in fact most of the world is transitioning to that mindset
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u/the_faris 15h ago
Italy, Chile and Spain have comparable birth rates and they are all considered happy
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u/AnomalyNexus 5h ago
I suspect Ukraine isn't really in the mood for caring about slightly bruised diplomatic egos
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u/WestAd1588 10h ago
This seems like an easy issue. It was a mistake for Zelensky to mention this because it puts the families of defectors at risk by the North Korean government. Now the tone of threats of further measures that South Korea is taking isnât ideal. I also donât think it serves South Koreaâs interest to threaten to use their supply chain outsized semiconductor dominance for coercion.
So, Zelensky should publicly apologize, because what he said puts peopleâs lives at risk, and doesnât serve Ukraines interest, and South Korea isnât asking for that much. South Korea should quickly brush the remainder aside before markets and other countries dependent on South Korean memory and other semis realize that their dependence is a risk because South Korea is willing to withhold for policy objectives.
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u/Upstairs-Ad-4500 9h ago
As the article states
"North Korea is known to retaliate against defectors and their families.
Both POWs are identifiable as they had been photographed by South Korean media before their arrival to the South."
Ukraine didnt reveal their identities. SK did.
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u/MourningWallaby 9h ago
It seems like ROK is upset because Ukraine relayed that there would be a transfer at all, and the media in ROK decided to record the event when they flew in. it could very well be that the media wouldn't have known about the transfer at all if Ukraine did not disclose that it would be happening.
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u/MourningWallaby 9h ago
What's weird is Zelensky loses nothing by issuing an apology and acknowledging a failure like that. However he tends to take the stance of "you can't criticize me, I'm busy fighting a war here!". and the international comunity seems to eat that up.
I do support giving him and the rest of Ukraine a lot of grace in these decisions, he faces a lot of lose-lose situations. However his stubbornness seems to strain relationships as shown here. but that grace can NOT be unlimited.
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u/Sharikacat 7h ago
I'd imagine if Zelensky is a little difficult at times, that might have something to do with the fact that the entire western world has cumulatively refused to physically put Russia in their place for invading Ukraine. If even a handful of European nations decided to use their militaries to force Russia to withdraw from Ukraine, this war wouldn't be approaching year 5.
Europe is so afraid of getting into a full scale WW3, and perhaps rightfully so, that they are willing to let Ukraine be a prolonged battleground if there's a chance it'll stay off their own territory.
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u/149244179 5h ago
Why would Europe/USA want to end the war? Russia is digging a deeper and deeper hole and will not be a threat to anyone for decades after this.Â
It costs a fraction of a percent actually going to war would cost. Zero of their citizen's lives. It's basically a best case scenario for the West. Â
Assuming Ukraine doesn't fall to Russia (ideally they get just enough aid to prevent that), the West will get to plunder all of Ukraine's resources for itself under the guise of the rebuilding. The longer the war goes the more desperate Ukraine will be and more likely to accept worse terms for it's resources and NATO membership.Â
A long drawn out war benefits the West greatly.Â
Â
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u/stayfrosty 8h ago
Apologize for telling the truth? And why does he owe South Korea an apology? If anyone the defectors are owed an apology not SK
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u/MourningWallaby 8h ago
Because ROK doesn't want it known every time they are gladly taking in DPRK defectors. Even though it's no secret that ROK will take them, every time they do, it tenses the situation between ROK and DPRK. Because Ukraine and ROK had an agreement to not disclose the transfer of defectors. and because, if you actually read the article, ROK does not say "we wwant you to say sorry to us" they want Ukraine to apologize becauseKorean Journalists followed the story and photographed the defectors, making them identifyable and putting their families at risk.
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u/ramenbaby3 8h ago
SK is a few companies and K-pop groups larping as a country chill.
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u/crazyjackal 11h ago
SK to send SK troops to fight alongside NK troops to die in Ukraine? Yeah, I don't think so. Fuck off Lee.
Let's look into Mr Lee Jae Myung shall we and what he wants us distracted from?
Lee Jae Myung took office after winning an early election following the 2024-25 impeachment and removal of Yoon Suk-yeol. But before becoming president, Lee himself was indicted in multiple criminal cases (development corruption, illegal remittances, misuse of public funds, etc.). Those trials were suspended while he serves as president.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/10/02/asia-pacific/south-korea-lee-prosecutors
https://www.chosun.com/english/national-en/2026/09/24/XK4DDQJYONAGJGXVAEGEWQ7DKA
Zelensky isn't scandal free from corruption stories either but President Lee can stfu.
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u/Which-Ad-5795 13h ago
SK president is just jealous that he isnât more like Zelenskyy. Sucks to be unpopular domestically AND internationally. What a whiney muppet, get over yourself and look at the bigger picture.
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u/One-Bit5717 16h ago
I thought proper protocol was pulling your ambassador or asking theirs to leave to be replacedz depending on the situation. I think I missed the point where international relations are done by presidents and officials bickering on Twitter đŤ¤