UN/Seoul, September 23 (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a speech at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday that Ukraine had handed over two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea.
“Recently, we sent two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea,” Zelenskyy said in his speech.
Capturing these individuals alive was no easy task. Upon realizing he was about to be taken prisoner, one of them attempted suicide—only to be surprised that fate did not let him die.
Zelenskyy did not provide further details regarding the repatriation. Ukraine captured the two North Koreans in Russia’s Kursk region last January; they were among the first North Korean soldiers taken alive since the country joined the Russia-Ukraine war in 2024.
Zelenskyy had previously stated that he would hand the men over to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un if Kim could facilitate a prisoner exchange involving Ukrainians held by Russia.
However, human rights groups urged him to repatriate them to South Korea, citing the risk of punishment the soldiers would face. South Korean media reported that the two captured soldiers had expressed a desire to defect to South Korea.
According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korean opposition lawmaker Yoo Yong-won told reporters on Thursday that the two North Koreans left Ukraine last weekend, traveled through a third country, and arrived in South Korea three or four days ago.
“Although their exact whereabouts are unclear, I believe our intelligence agencies are protecting them,” Mr. Yoo said.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry stated that it could not confirm the matter due to concerns regarding the safety of the soldiers and their families. The Unification Ministry has not yet responded to the report.
South Korea announced in June that it would accept any North Korean prisoners of war who had fought for Russia and opposed their repatriation to Russia or North Korea.
Zelenskyy has also criticized North Korea for sending troops to fight for Russia.
“It is absolutely insane. Why should Koreans sacrifice their lives in the war against Ukraine? Kim Jong Un is treating them like currency while profiting from the situation himself,” he said.
According to estimates from Ukraine and South Korea, North Korea has sent approximately 14,000 to 15,000 troops to Russia since 2024 to support its war against Ukraine. The majority of these soldiers have been deployed to Russia’s Kursk region, where they are assisting Moscow’s forces in repelling the Ukrainian incursion.
Assessments by Ukraine and independent organizations indicate that the country has also supplied Russia with millions of artillery and mortar shells, as well as ballistic missiles, long-range artillery, and multiple rocket launcher systems.