South Korea says Zelenskyy's revelation of a secret POW transfer was likely a play for more support

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s spy agency said Wednesday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy 's recent revelation of a supposedly secret transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to the South was likely meant to generate public support in this Asian democracy for greater assistance to Ukraine.

Zelenskyy’s disclosure during his U.N. speech last week of the transfer of the captured soldiers has stunned South Korea and drawn strong protests. Seoul called on Kyiv to apologize and explain the violation of what it said was a nondisclosure agreement about the transfer. Ukraine denied agreeing to any such deal.

The fracas surrounding the revelation has shaken the traditionally good relations between Kyiv and Seoul but it's unclear if it would lead to something more dramatic.

The soldiers were among thousands sent by North Korea to help Russia repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk border region as part of expanding cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow. North Korea has supplied conventional weapons to Russia as well.

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service held a closed-door meeting with a parliament committee on Wednesday about the matter.

According to lawmaker Yoo Yeong-ha who attended the meeting, the committee was told there has been no apology or expression of regret from Ukraine — either through official or unofficial channels.

The intelligence service assessed that Zelenskyy likely disclosed the transfer with the intention to rally public support in South Korea in favor of supplying weapons and other assistance to Ukraine, Yoo said.

Yoo did not elaborate or say how the intelligence service made its assessment.

South Korea has sent humanitarian aid and other support to Ukraine but has refrained from sending weapons, in line with its policy of not supplying arms to countries actively engaged in conflict.

According to the intelligence service, the North Korean POWs arrived in South Korea in mid-September and have no major health issues, according to another lawmaker, Yun Kun-young, who was also present at the meeting. The agency said that while in Ukraine, the soldiers had expressed their desires to resettle in South Korea, according to Yun.

North Korea hasn't publicly commented on the transfer but has previously claimed major defections of its citizens were the result of South Korea abducting them or luring them to flee.

South Korean officials have said they were concerned about the safety of the two soldiers and their relatives back in North Korea. Experts say there were also concerns the transfer could trigger protests from the North and undermine efforts to restart Pyongyang's talks with the United States.

Yun also said the intelligence service estimates that about 9,000 North Korean soldiers were engaged in surveillance operations in the Kursk region.

He also added that the lawmakers were told Russia has given North Korea weapons technologies to support its military modernization plans but has been reluctant to transfer cutting-edge technology related to the construction of nuclear-powered submarines and intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The intelligence service has also assessed that the teenage daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has cemented her status as her father's likely heir after attending an array of different public events and getting more ceremonial treatment, Yun said.

He quoted the service as saying Kim's daughter — reportedly named Kim Ju Ae and around 13 — made about 30 public appearances together with her father so far this year, the highest figure in the corresponding period since she first appeared in public in late 2022.

Some experts caution against seeing her as her father's successor, citing North Korea’s extremely strong male-centered power hierarchy.

Yoo, the lawmaker, said the service described Kim's daughter as trying to project a more mature image by wearing women’s suits and pointed-toe heels. The intelligence agency has in the past made assessments of Kim Jong Un's health conditions by using artificial intelligence techniques, analyses of super-resolution video and other methods.

Also in the Wednesday meeting, the intelligence agency said Kim is still severely obese but has no signs of other health problems, Yun said.