A dispute is escalating between Ukraine and South Korea. The root of the disagreement flows from Ukraine’s capture of two North Korean soldiers who were fighting alongside Russia in January 2025. Both soldiers later expressed a desire to relocate to South Korea. After negotiations, they were quietly transferred to Seoul in September. All was fine.

Then Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the soldiers’ transfer during his speech to the U.N. General Assembly late last month. It turned what Seoul regarded as a sensitive intelligence and humanitarian operation into a public diplomatic issue.