S. Korea, Ukraine's FMs discuss 'proper message' on NK POW transfer dispute: senior official

The South Korean and Ukrainian foreign ministers have been discussing how Kyiv should respond to South Korea's demand for an apology over the disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) to Seoul, a senior government official here said Friday. The South Korean government demanded an official explanation and apology over Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's recent disclosure of the transfer and a statement from his office denying that there had been an agreement to keep the matter confidential. "One thing I want to make clear is that there was an agreement from the outset to keep the matter confidential to protect the soldiers and their families, who remain in North Korea. There is no question about that," the foreign ministry official well-versed in the issue said during a meeting with reporters. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, "have been in close communication on potential responses from Ukraine, including the tone and content of the message and the manner in which it would be announced," he said. The official added