Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Wednesday that Ukraine has transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea, revealing the move in an address to the United Nations General Assembly.
“Recently, we sent two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea,” Zelensky told 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.”
Zelensky offered no further details on the transfer. Ukraine had captured the two men in Russia’s Kursk region in January of last year, making them the first North Korean soldiers taken alive since Pyongyang joined the war on Russia’s side in 2024.
At the time, Zelensky said he would consider handing the prisoners to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in exchange for Ukrainian captives held in Russia. Human rights organizations pushed back on that plan, warning of the punishment the men could face if returned to North Korea, and South Korean media reported the two soldiers had instead expressed a wish to defect to the South.
South Korean opposition lawmaker Yu Yong-weon told reporters Thursday that the two men left Ukraine last weekend, passed through a third country, and arrived in South Korea three to four days ago, according to Yonhap News Agency.
“While their exact location is unknown, I believe our intelligence agencies are protecting them,” Yu said.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said it could not confirm the matter, citing the need to protect the safety of the soldiers and their families. The country’s Unification Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In June, South Korea said it would accept all North Korean prisoners of war who had fought for Russia, and that it opposed any repatriation of such soldiers to either Russia or North Korea.
Zelensky used his UN address to renew criticism of North Korea’s role in the war. “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.
Ukrainian and South Korean estimates put the number of North Korean troops sent to aid Russia since 2024 at roughly 14,000 to 15,000, most of them deployed in Kursk, where they helped Russian forces repel a Ukrainian incursion. Ukrainian and independent assessments also say North Korea has supplied Russia with millions of artillery and mortar rounds, ballistic missiles, long-range artillery, and multiple-launch rocket systems.
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