Ukraine hands two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea, Zelenskyy tells UN
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday that Ukraine has transferred two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea, ending months of uncertainty over the fate of the two men.
"Recently, we sent two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea," Mr. Zelenskyy said in his address to the assembly.
"These guys are not easy to capture alive. One of them, when he realized he was going to be taken prisoner, tried to kill himself. And he was shocked that fate did not let him die," he said, without giving further details of the transfer.
The two soldiers were captured in Russia's Kursk region in January last year. They were the first North Korean troops seized alive since Pyongyang entered the Russia-Ukraine war in 2024.
When the men were taken captive, Mr. Zelenskyy said he was prepared to hand them over to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un if that could secure the release of Ukrainians held in Russia. Human rights organisations urged him instead to send them to South Korea, warning that they could face punishment at home. South Korean media reported that both soldiers had expressed a wish to defect.
South Korea's Foreign Ministry said it could not confirm the matter, including the timing of any return, citing the safety of the soldiers and their families. The country's Unification Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In June, Seoul said it would accept all North Korean prisoners of war who had fought for Russia and opposed any repatriation of them to Russia or North Korea.
The transfer raises questions that go beyond the two men. International humanitarian law generally requires the repatriation of prisoners of war once hostilities end, while human rights law bars states from returning people to countries where they face a real risk of persecution or severe punishment. Where those obligations conflict, governments have increasingly weighed the safety of the individual against the letter of the law.
Mr. Zelenskyy also criticised North Korea for sending its troops to fight for Russia. "This is madness too. Why should Koreans give their lives in a war against Ukraine? Kim Jong Un uses them like currency. And he gets something in return," he said.
According to Ukrainian and South Korean estimates, North Korea has sent around 14,000 to 15,000 soldiers since 2024 to support Russia's war effort. Most have been deployed in the Kursk region, where they helped Moscow's forces repel a Ukrainian incursion. Pyongyang and Moscow signed a mutual defence agreement in 2024, which analysts say paved the way for the deployment.
Ukraine and independent assessments say North Korea has also supplied Russia with millions of artillery and mortar rounds, ballistic missiles, long-range artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems. Western governments have repeatedly raised the deepening military cooperation between the two countries at the United Nations, where Russia holds a permanent Security Council seat and can veto any action against Pyongyang.
Seoul has not said whether the two men will be treated as prisoners of war, defectors or refugees, or where they will be resettled. Under South Korean law, North Korean citizens are generally regarded as citizens of the Republic of Korea, a position that has shaped how previous defectors from the military have been handled.
The transfer is likely to be closely watched by Pyongyang, which has not commented publicly on the reported defection of its soldiers. North Korean state media did not carry any report on the transfer at the time.
