Lee says Ukraine made him 'look like a liar'

Foreign Ministry says it is reviewing range of possible responses

President Lee Jae Myung delivers opening remarks at a civil affairs innovation case presentation held in Sejong on Friday. [Yonhap]
President Lee Jae Myung delivers opening remarks at a civil affairs innovation case presentation held in Sejong on Friday. [Yonhap]

The South Korean government said Friday that President Lee Jae Myung's expression of "serious regret" toward Ukraine was meant to make clear that the dispute over the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war is not a matter of diplomatic misunderstanding, but one of inter-state agreements, trust and South Korea's national credibility. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs conveyed the position in a press notice that day.

Earlier Friday, Lee wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that he was expressing serious regret toward Ukraine — a country he accused of unilaterally disclosing information it had agreed to keep confidential regarding the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war, then denying that any such agreement existed and effectively calling the South Korean president a liar when he raised the matter as diplomatically as possible, and finally invoking the specter of imminent inter-Korean military conflict and the outbreak of war on the Korean Peninsula when pressed to acknowledge the facts and apologize.

The Foreign Ministry added that the government had repeatedly demanded a clear explanation of the facts, an apology and measures to prevent a recurrence — both by summoning the Ukrainian chargé d'affaires in Seoul and through diplomatic channels — but was still awaiting a response. It said Lee had again strongly urged Ukraine to acknowledge the facts and apologize.

The ministry said the government's position is that clear action on the matter is necessary to restore trust between the two countries, and that it would monitor Ukraine's future official stance and respond as needed. It added that it could not confirm any additional measures at this time but was reviewing a range of possible responses.


sunpine@heraldcorp.com