Seoul's anger with Kyiv over POWs may be driven by worries about its ties to North Korea

South Korea Armed Forces Day - (Jeon Heon-kyun/EPA POOL via AP)

South Korea’s president threatened Friday to take unspecified punitive steps against Ukraine if it refuses to apologize over its revelation of a supposedly secret transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea.

Seoul and Kyiv are embroiled in a diplomatic dispute, with Seoul strongly protesting against Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ’s disclosure of the transfer during his U.N. speech last week. South Korea accuses Ukraine of violating a nondisclosure agreement on the transfer, but Kyiv has denied agreeing to such a deal.