Ex-Azov officer says South Korea's president cannot threaten Zelensky
In short
Lt. Col. Bohdan Krotevych, a former chief of staff of Ukraine's Azov Brigade, said in an Oct. 2 post on X that South Korea's President Lee Jae-myung is not in a position to threaten Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and that Ukraine could prove to be one of Seoul's few real allies. Hankook Ilbo reported the post drew more than 1,000 comments, with Korean users objecting. The exchange comes after a dispute over Ukraine's public disclosure that two North Korean prisoners of war were sent to South Korea, which Seoul says broke a private agreement.
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A former Ukrainian officer regarded in Ukraine as a war hero said South Korea's president is in no position to threaten Ukraine's president, in a social media post that drew a sharp reaction from Korean users. Lt. Col. Bohdan Krotevych, a former chief of staff of Ukraine's Azov special forces brigade, wrote on X on Oct. 2 that “the South Korean president is not in a position to threaten anyone, especially the Ukrainian president,” according to Hankook Ilbo and Dong-A Ilbo. [ 1 , 2 ]
Krotevych also said Ukraine could prove to be “one of the few real allies” of South Korea if South Korea is attacked, adding that in a crisis what matters is allies who actually stand beside you rather than alliances that exist only on paper. Saying he did not mean to offend, he urged the South Korean president to think carefully about what he is saying and to whom. Without elaborating, he added that Koreans fear the word “martial law” more than actual North Korean military action or provocation, the two newspapers reported. [ 1 , 2 ]
Hankook Ilbo reported the post drew more than 1,000 comments, with users believed to be Korean expressing displeasure. One Korean-language user wrote, “Is that how you make a request, so rudely?” and “You are in no position to take a high-handed attitude toward us,” the paper said. [ 1 ]
The exchange comes amid friction between Seoul and Kyiv over North Korean prisoners of war. President Lee Jae-myung said on X on Oct. 2 that if Ukraine continues to refuse to acknowledge the facts and to apologize publicly, South Korea will take further measures, Hankook Ilbo reported. Zelensky disclosed at the UN General Assembly on Sept. 23 that two North Korean soldiers taken prisoner had been sent to South Korea; Seoul says the disclosure broke a private agreement on their repatriation, according to the same outlet. [ 1 ]
Korea Economic Daily's page carried a foreign ministry statement saying First Vice Minister Park Yoon-joo summoned Ukraine's chargé d'affaires in South Korea on Sept. 28 and conveyed the government's grave position on the prisoner repatriation, expressing regret over what it called a false press release. [ 3 ]
That outlet's page also listed related items saying Russian state media have repeatedly claimed a rift in Korea-Ukraine relations since Zelensky's disclosure, and that a senior Ukrainian presidential office official warned that North Korean troop deployment to Russia could raise tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The documents carry only those headline-level descriptions. [ 3 ]
Why it matters
The remarks add to friction between Seoul and Kyiv over how North Korean prisoners of war are handled, after President Lee warned of further measures if Ukraine does not acknowledge the facts and apologize. The documents show no change in official Ukrainian policy: Krotevych posted as a former officer, not as a government representative. Korean outlets treating the post as a controversy indicates the sensitivity in South Korea to how Ukraine presses its case.
Key facts
- Lt. Col. Bohdan Krotevych, a former chief of staff of Ukraine's Azov special forces brigade, said in an Oct. 2 post on X that South Korea's president is not in a position to threaten Ukraine's president. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Krotevych said Ukraine could prove to be one of South Korea's few real allies if South Korea is attacked, and that crises show the value of allies who stand beside you rather than alliances on paper. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Krotevych said Koreans fear the term “martial law” more than actual North Korean military action or provocation, without a detailed explanation. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Hankook Ilbo reported the post drew more than 1,000 comments, with users believed to be Korean expressing displeasure at his tone. [ 1 ]
- President Lee Jae-myung said on X on Oct. 2 that South Korea will take further measures if Ukraine continues to refuse to acknowledge the facts and to apologize publicly. [ 1 ]
- Zelensky disclosed at the UN General Assembly on Sept. 23 that two North Korean prisoners of war had been sent to South Korea, and Seoul says this broke a private agreement on their repatriation. [ 1 ]
- South Korea's foreign ministry summoned Ukraine's chargé d'affaires in the country on Sept. 28 and expressed regret over what it called a false press release on the prisoner repatriation. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Krotevych, a former chief of staff of Ukraine's Azov Brigade, said on X on Oct. 2 that South Korea's president is not in a position to threaten Zelensky. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Krotevych said Ukraine could turn out to be one of South Korea's few real allies if South Korea is attacked. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Krotevych referred to “martial law” as something Koreans fear more than North Korean military action, without elaborating. [ 1 , 2 ]
- South Korea and Ukraine are at odds over Ukraine's public disclosure of the transfer of North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea. [ 1 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- Whether Krotevych's remarks reflect any official Ukrainian position. He is described as a former officer posting on his own X account; the documents do not say he speaks for Kyiv.
- How Ukraine's government responds to Krotevych's remarks or to Seoul's warning of further measures. The documents carry only Seoul's position and Krotevych's personal post; no Ukrainian government comment appears.
- What South Korea's threatened “further measures” would be. President Lee said further measures would follow but did not specify them in the documents.
- Ukraine's account of the prisoner repatriation and the alleged private agreement. Only South Korea's account is reported; the documents do not carry Ukraine's explanation.
- Details of related items listed on Korea Economic Daily's page. Claims that Russian state media reported a Korea-Ukraine rift, and a Ukrainian official's warning about Korean Peninsula tensions, appear only as headline-level links with no dates, quotes or detail.
- South Korea's foreign ministry summoned Ukraine's chargé d'affaires on Sept. 28 and conveyed the government's position on the prisoner repatriation. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Zelensky tells the UN General Assembly that two North Korean prisoners of war were sent to South Korea. [ 1 ]
- South Korea's foreign ministry summons Ukraine's chargé d'affaires and expresses regret over what it calls a false press release on the prisoner repatriation. [ 3 ]
- Krotevych posts on X that South Korea's president is not in a position to threaten Zelensky; President Lee says on X that Seoul will take further measures if Ukraine does not acknowledge the facts and apologize. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Hankook Ilbo publishes its report on the exchange. [ 1 ]
- Dong-A Ilbo publishes its report. [ 2 ]
- Korea Economic Daily publishes its report, which also lists related items on Russian media claims and peninsula tensions. [ 3 ]