"Are There Only Two North Korean Prisoners of War?" Lawmakers Call for Measures to Prevent Repeat of Repatriation Dispute During Parliamentary Audit

Calls for measures to prevent a recurrence of the diplomatic friction between South Korea and Ukraine regarding the public disclosure of North Korean prisoners of war were raised during the parliamentary audit of the Embassy in Ukraine.

Lawmakers from the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee questioned whether there were any additional North Korean prisoners of war captured by Ukraine beyond the two publicly disclosed individuals.

During the parliamentary audit held at the Embassy in Poland on October 18 (local time), People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo pointed out regarding the private agreement on the repatriation of prisoners, "Aren't we failing to produce objective records, such as official documents or diplomatic cables, to prove this?" He added, "I have heard many warnings that regardless of the truth, this risks undermining our government's diplomatic credibility."

Ahn stated, "Although it was initially agreed to be kept private, did the common-sense judgments of the Ukrainian side and our Ministry of Foreign Affairs differ?" He shared a view circulating in diplomatic circles that Ukraine may have disclosed the repatriation believing there would be no safety issues for the prisoners after entering South Korea.

"The Ukrainian military could secure additional North Korean prisoners of war in the future, and if this issue becomes a stumbling block, won't it disrupt their repatriation to our country?" Ahn asked, stressing, "To ensure that such incidents are not repeated, improvements in diplomatic practices are necessary."

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Chung Cheng-rae also noted, "Various debates continue regarding the repatriation of prisoners. President Zelenskyy broke the private agreement and made it public, which worsened bilateral relations," and requested, "Please let us know if there are any measures the Embassy in Ukraine can take."

Referring to the response by Yoon Ji-wan, Chargé d'Affaires ad interim at the Embassy in Ukraine, that the diplomatic mission had no prior intelligence before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly disclosed the prisoner repatriation on September 23, lawmaker Kim Young-ho of the same party pointed out, "There will likely be more prisoner issues in the future, so the communication system seems to need reinforcement."

Chargé d'Affaires ad interim Yoon replied, "There was a deep consensus on the private agreement, to the extent that it would be difficult to have a difference in common-sense judgment during the consultation process with Ukraine."

Regarding measures to prevent repatriation disputes between the two countries, Yoon said, "I understand that such matters are being sufficiently reviewed back in headquarters. We are making preparations in accordance with headquarters' decisions."

Lawmaker Kim Young-ho repeatedly asked whether there were any more captured North Korean prisoners, stating, "Given that a large-scale deployment of North Korean troops resulted in so many casualties, it defies common sense that there are only two prisoners of war."

Chargé d'Affaires ad interim Yoon responded, "This is what the Ukrainian government officially confirmed and notified us of through multiple consultations," reiterating that there are only two North Korean prisoners of war in total.

Lee Seok-bae, Ambassador to Russia, stated, "We are not aware of whether Ukraine has secured any additional North Korean prisoners of war."

Yoon reaffirmed the South Korean government's position that the private agreement was made at Ukraine's request during the prisoner repatriation discussions, stating, "Ukraine continuously requested confidentiality from the beginning."

While auditing the Embassy in Russia, members of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee questioned the circumstances under which the Vice Minister of Oceans and Fisheries did not attend the Eastern Economic Forum hosted by the Russian government last month, despite receiving an invitation.

Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in 2022, the government had previously dispatched either the economic counselor at the embassy or the consul general in Vladivostok to the Eastern Economic Forum, but this year dispatched Ambassador to Russia Lee Seok-bae.

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young had previously stated that the government was actively considering participating in the Eastern Economic Forum at the government level to support the resumption of dialogue and negotiations with North Korea, but no officials from the Ministry of Unification attended.

Lawmaker Kim Joon-hyung of the Rebuilding Korea Party asked whether the Ministry of Foreign Affairs blocked other ministries from attending, stating, "I heard directly from the Russian Embassy that the Minister of Unification wanted to go and Russia wanted attendees at the level of vice minister or higher from central government ministries."

Ambassador Lee stated, "I understand the invitation was received on August 26 and delivered to Seoul on the 27th. Because the invitation arrived five days prior, I understand the Vice Minister of Oceans and Fisheries could not attend due to scheduling constraints."

He also noted that no invitation was sent to Minister Chung, adding, "I think there may have been aspects that Russia itself considered sensitive internally."

Meanwhile, Ambassador Lee remarked, "It is true that the war in Ukraine and the close ties between Russia and North Korea are overshadowing various issues in South Korea-Russia relations."

Ambassador Lee stated, "As the war prolongs and Russia receives various military supports from North Korea, it is difficult for Russia to clearly reveal its intentions," adding, "Naturally, placing priority on Russia-North Korea relations, I think there are bound to be certain limitations when it comes to improving South Korea-Russia relations."
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.