Ukraine Sends Captured North Korean Soldiers to South Korea, Zelenskiy Tells UN
Ukraine's Transfer of North Korean Prisoners of War
(Corrects dateline and date of speech to Wednesday, from Thursday in paragraph 1)
By Tom Balmforth and Brenda Goh
Zelenskiy's Announcement at the United Nations
UNITED NATIONS/SEOUL, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Ukraine has transferred two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday in an address to the United Nations General Assembly.
"Recently, we sent two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea," said Zelenskiy in his speech.
Details of the Capture and Transfer
"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."
Zelenskiy did not provide more details about the return. Ukraine captured the two North Koreans in Russia's Kursk region in January last year. They were the first North Korean soldiers to be apprehended alive since the country entered the Russia-Ukraine war in 2024.
Negotiations and Human Rights Concerns
Zelenskiy said at the time that he would hand them over to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un if he could facilitate their exchange for Ukrainians held captive in 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 unification and foreign ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
North Korea's Involvement in the Russia-Ukraine War
Zelenskiy in his speech 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.
Scale of North Korean Military Support
North Korea has sent around 14,000 to 15,000 soldiers since 2024 to support Russia's war against Ukraine, according to Ukrainian and South Korean estimates. Most of them have been deployed in the Russian region of Kursk, where they helped Moscow's forces repel a Ukrainian incursion.
Weapons and Military Supplies Provided to Russia
The country has also supplied Russia with millions of artillery and mortar rounds, ballistic missiles, long-range artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems, according to Ukrainian and independent assessments.
(Reporting by Brenda Goh and Joyce Lee in Seoul and Tom Balmforth in New York; Editing by Stephen Coates)