Na Kyung-won sends thank-you letter to Zelensky; Democratic Party calls it 'treason'

A diplomatic dispute over the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea has spilled into domestic politics. People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won's decision to send a personal thank-you letter to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky drew sharp condemnation from Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers, who called it an act of treason. Na fired back, accusing the Lee Jae Myung government of kowtowing to Pyongyang and turning its back on a humanitarian outcome.

Na published the letter on Facebook on Friday, criticizing the government for what she described as a deeply misguided response. "The Lee Jae Myung government cannot say a single word to North Korea, which has harmed our soldiers with landmines along the Military Demarcation Line, or to Russia, the aggressor — yet it repays Ukraine's grace in repatriating North Korean POWs with hostility," she wrote. "The president, Cheong Wa Dae and the government have repeatedly vented emotional outrage and brought about a diplomatic catastrophe of their own making — enough to make both the international community and people at home and abroad question the motives behind it."

She said she was sending the letter directly to Zelensky "to correct the government's misguided diplomacy and make clear the value of solidarity among liberal democracies."

In the letter, Na said she "warmly welcomes and expresses deep gratitude for President Zelensky's magnanimous decision to respect the free will of North Korean POWs Ri and Baek and allow them to come to South Korea." She added: "I once again pay my respects to the decision President Zelensky reached after much deliberation, and I will never forget it."

The Democratic Party pushed back, accusing Na of ignoring the underlying breach of diplomatic trust between Seoul and Kyiv and focusing solely on attacking the government.

Democratic Party spokesperson Lee Yong-woo said in a written briefing that day that Na had "defended Ukraine for breaking a confidential agreement, while pinning a groundless accusation on our government — that it was trying to send the POWs to their deaths — for holding Ukraine accountable." He said framing the government's measures to protect the prisoners and their families as pro-North Korea was "irresponsible agitation."

Democratic Party lawmaker Shin Jeong-hun also weighed in on Facebook, saying "expressing gratitude for the repatriation of North Korean POWs and upholding diplomatic trust between nations are clearly separate matters." He added: "You thank what deserves thanks and protest what deserves protest. Do you not even know the basics of diplomacy?"

Shin went on to say that Na appeared to welcome diplomatic friction as long as it gave her an opportunity to attack the government, criticizing her for putting partisan conflict ahead of the national interest.

Democratic Party lawmaker Kang Deuk-gu also wrote on Facebook on Friday that the government's recall of its ambassador was a legitimate diplomatic measure. He said Ukraine had made a public announcement that differed from what the two sides had agreed upon, and that despite repeated attempts by Seoul to resolve the matter, no apology or meaningful accountability had followed.

Kang urged Na to withdraw her official letter to Zelensky, saying he "cannot help but feel outrage at behavior that puts personal political interests ahead of the national interest."

Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Byung-joo went further, comparing Na to Yi Wan-yong, the Joseon-era official widely reviled for facilitating Japan's annexation of Korea. "Sending a thank-you letter to Zelensky, who has insulted an ungrateful South Korea — how is that any different from Yi Wan-yong, who sold out the country for personal gain?" Kim wrote on Facebook. "Stop this treasonous act immediately."

Na rebuffed the criticism on social media. "Sending a thank-you letter to a country that rescued our compatriots, and you call that treason?" she wrote. "Is it not the Lee Jae Myung Democratic Party government's cowardly submission — fearing it might upset a dictatorial regime, abandoning compatriots in peril and turning a whip on a benefactor — that is the real treason?"

She went on to say that Democratic Party lawmakers were speaking on behalf of the North Korean regime, and called the government's recall of its ambassador to Ukraine "an act of diplomatic self-harm." Na urged the government to immediately cancel the recall, apologize to Ukraine for the discourtesy and properly express gratitude to Kyiv for repatriating the North Korean POWs who had chosen freedom.

The dispute traces back to last month, when Zelensky disclosed in a speech at the UN General Assembly that two North Korean POWs had been repatriated to South Korea. The South Korean government had agreed to keep the repatriation confidential out of concern for the safety of the prisoners and their families, but says Ukraine unilaterally made the information public.

Seoul demanded an explanation and an apology from Kyiv, but with the two sides unable to narrow their differences, the government decided Thursday to recall Ambassador Park Ki-chang from Ukraine. The People Power Party has continued to argue that prioritizing procedural diplomatic grievances over the humanitarian achievement of bringing North Korean POWs home is inappropriate.