UNITED NATIONS/SEOUL — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed during his address to the United Nations General Assembly that Kyiv had transferred two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea. “We recently sent two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea,” Zelensky stated, adding that one captive had attempted suicide upon realizing he would be taken prisoner and was shocked to have survived.
The soldiers were captured in Russia’s Kursk region in January 2025, becoming the first North Korean troops apprehended alive since Pyongyang joined the conflict in 2024. Zelensky previously said he would offer them to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in exchange for Ukrainians held by Russia, but human rights advocates urged repatriation to South Korea, citing severe risks. South Korean media reported that both soldiers expressed a desire to defect.
South Korea’s foreign ministry declined to confirm details of the transfer, including timing, citing the safety of the soldiers and their families. Seoul announced in June that it would accept all North Korean prisoners of war who fought for Russia and opposed repatriation to Moscow or Pyongyang.
Zelensky condemned North Korea’s deployment of roughly 14,000 to 15,000 troops to support Russia since 2024, calling it “madness” and accusing Kim of treating soldiers as currency. Most were deployed in Kursk to help repel Ukraine’s incursion. North Korea has also supplied millions of artillery and mortar rounds, ballistic missiles, long-range artillery, and multiple-launch rocket systems, according to Ukrainian and independent assessments.
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