President Zelenskyy says two North Korean prisoners of war were transferred to South Korea — Asharq Al-Awsat

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York, United States, said that Ukraine had recently transferred two prisoners of war from North Korea to South Korea. Asharq Al-Awsat reports.

Prisoners from Kursk Oblast

According to Zelenskyy, capturing North Korean servicemen alive was difficult. One of them, realizing that he would be taken prisoner, attempted to take his own life.

Ukraine captured two North Korean soldiers in January 2025 in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, the aggressor state. As the publication notes, they were the first North Korean servicemen taken alive after the country entered Russia’s war against Ukraine in 2024.

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Kyiv’s and Seoul’s positions

After the prisoners were captured, Zelenskyy said he would hand them over to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un if he facilitated an exchange for Ukrainians held by Russia. At the same time, human rights groups called for the soldiers to be sent to South Korea, pointing to the risk of punishment for them in North Korea.

South Korean media reported that both prisoners of war had expressed a desire to move to South Korea. South Korea’s ministries of unification and foreign affairs did not provide immediate comments on the transfer.

Zelenskyy also criticized North Korea for sending troops to support Russia. According to estimates by Ukraine and South Korea, Pyongyang has sent approximately 14,000–15,000 soldiers to take part in the war since 2024. Most of them were deployed in Kursk Oblast, where they helped Russian forces repel the Ukrainian incursion. According to Ukrainian and independent estimates, North Korea also supplied Russia with artillery and mortar ammunition, ballistic missiles, long-range artillery, and multiple launch rocket systems.