Ukraine has transferred two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). And he was shocked that fate did not let him die.” He strongly criticised Pyongyang’s involvement in the conflict, questioning why North Korean soldiers were giving their lives in a war against Ukraine. Ukrainian and South Korean estimates indicate North Korea has deployed approximately 15,000 soldiers to support Russia’s war effort since 2024, primarily in the Kursk border region.
Zelenskyy provided no further details regarding the transfer. Ukrainian forces captured the two North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk region in January 2025, in the first known apprehension of Pyongyang’s troops since their deployment to the conflict in 2024. Zelenskyy had previously stated he would consider returning the soldiers to North Korean leader Kim in exchange for Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia.
Human rights groups, however, urged him to repatriate them to South Korea, citing the risks of punishments the soldiers faced. South Korean media reported that the two captured soldiers had expressed their desire to defect to South Korea. South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not deny Zelenskyy’s remarks, but it also declined to confirm operational details of the transfer, citing individual safety and family protection.
The issue was a key topic during a July summit in Ankara, Turkiye, where President Lee Jae Myung met Zelenskyy. Senior presidential spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung stated afterwards that both leaders agreed to resolve the status of North Korean POWs in Ukraine in accordance with international law and humanitarian principles, while respecting the free will of those involved. This built on a prior agreement reached during the South Korea-Ukraine foreign ministers’ meeting in March, where both nations pledged to cooperate on the POW issue under the same humanitarian framework.
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