Ukraine has transferred two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday during an address to the United Nations General Assembly.
“Recently, we sent two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea,” Zelensky said in his speech.
He said the capture of the two men alive had been difficult. “One of them, after realizing he was about to be captured, tried to take his own life,” Zelensky said. “He was shocked that fate did not allow him to die.”
Zelensky offered no further details about how the transfer was arranged.
Ukrainian forces captured the two North Koreans in Russia’s Kursk region in January last year.
They were the first North Korean soldiers captured alive after Pyongyang entered the Russia-Ukraine war in 2024.
At the time, Zelensky said he would consider handing the prisoners to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un if it could help secure the release of Ukrainians held captive in Russia.
Human rights organizations instead called on Ukraine to send the men to South Korea, warning that they could face severe punishment if returned to North Korea.
South Korean media later reported that both soldiers had indicated they wanted to defect to South Korea.
South Korean opposition lawmaker Yu Yong-weon told reporters Thursday that the prisoners left Ukraine last weekend, traveled through a third country and reached South Korea three or four days ago, according to Yonhap News Agency.
“Although their precise location is not known, I believe our intelligence agencies are safeguarding them,” Yu was quoted as saying.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry declined to confirm the transfer, saying the safety of the soldiers and their relatives had to be protected. The country’s Unification Ministry did not immediately answer a request for comment.
South Korea said in June that it would accept any North Korean prisoners of war who had fought for Russia and opposed sending them back to either Russia or North Korea.
Zelensky also condemned North Korea’s decision to deploy troops in support of Russia.
“This is madness too. Why should Koreans give their lives in a war against Ukraine?” he said. “Kim Jong Un uses them as currency—and receives something in return.”
Ukrainian and South Korean estimates indicate that North Korea has sent roughly 14,000 to 15,000 troops to support Russia’s war effort since 2024.
Most of those forces have been deployed in Kursk, where they helped Russian troops push back a Ukrainian incursion.
North Korea has also provided Russia with millions of artillery and mortar shells, ballistic missiles, long-range artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems, according to Ukrainian and independent assessments.
