Ukraine War | North Korean prisoners of war arrive in South Korea

North Korea's Defense Minister Kang Sun-nam (l) welcomes his then Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang in July 2023. Both states work closely together militarily. Photo: dpa/picture alliance/KCNA/KNS Seoul. After months of negotiations, two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukraine have been brought to South Korea. South Korean lawmaker Yoo Yong-won, who personally met the two men during a visit to Ukraine last year, told a news conference that they had arrived safely in South Korea a few days ago.

The day before, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj said during his speech at the UN general debate in New York that Ukraine had sent two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea. »Taking these men alive wasn't easy. One of them tried to commit suicide when he realized he would be captured,” Zelensky said. He also criticized military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.

According to South Korean intelligence estimates, North Korea has sent around 15,000 soldiers to support Russia in the war against Ukraine. It is assumed that North Korea receives, among other things, money, military technology and security guarantees from Russia.

According to Ukrainian information, the two soldiers were captured in the Russian border region of Kursk at the beginning of 2025. They had reportedly expressed a desire to move to South Korea.

South Korea accepts North Korean refugees after a security check and generally grants them South Korean citizenship. The South Korean government has not yet officially commented on the whereabouts of the two men. dpa/nd

The »nd.Genossenschaft« belongs to its readers and authors. They are the ones who make our journalism accessible to everyone through their contribution: We are not backed by a media company, not a large advertising customer or even a billionaire.

Thanks to the support of our community we can:

→ report independently and critically → shine a light on topics that otherwise remain in the shadows → give space to voices that are often silenced → counter disinformation with facts → strengthen and deepen left-wing perspectives

With “Voluntarily pay” you contribute to the financing of our newspaper in solidarity. So that nd remains.