President Lee: "Ukraine attempted to provoke war on the Korean Peninsula... Further measures if it refuses a public apology"

[Financial News] On the 2nd, President Lee Jae Myung expressed grave regret over Ukraine, which he said was attempting to provoke war on the Korean Peninsula by talking about imminent military clashes between North and South Korea. He was referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's disclosure that North Korean prisoners had been transferred to South Korea, saying, "When I asked Ukraine to acknowledge the agreement and apologize, it instead talked about imminent military clashes between North and South Korea and attempted to provoke war on the Korean Peninsula."
That day, President Lee shared on X (formerly Twitter) a media report covering remarks by Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and wrote, "As this is a matter concerning the dignity of the people and the state of the Republic of Korea (ROK), it cannot be overlooked."
He particularly stressed, "If they continue to refuse to acknowledge the facts and issue a public apology, we will take further measures."
President Lee pointed out, "Regarding the repatriation of North Korean prisoners, Ukraine requested that the matter remain undisclosed, and we agreed to keep it confidential. However, it disclosed the matter unilaterally. When the ROK president said, with the utmost courtesy, that this was regrettable, it made the head of state of the other country out to be a liar by claiming that there had been no agreement."
Earlier, Kyrylo Budanov, chief of the Office of the President of Ukraine, referred to a mine explosion in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and said, "Another incident recently occurred at the military demarcation line between South Korea and North Korea," adding, "The situation is worsening by the day." He then claimed, "It is only a matter of time before an incident occurs that could lead to uncontrollable consequences."
Meanwhile, according to the article President Lee shared that day, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told reporters at an event on the 1st, local time, regarding the dispute between the two countries over the transfer of North Korean prisoners, "I don't want to call this matter an 'incident.' Let's leave it at a 'diplomatic misunderstanding.'"
[email protected] Choi Jong-geun Reporter