Two North Korean POWs Arrive in South Korea 1 Year and 8 Months After Capture

[Anchor]

It appears that two North Korean prisoners of war captured by the Ukrainian military were repatriated to South Korea only a few days ago. This comes one year and eight months after they were taken captive.

Reporter Choi Jae-yeong reports.

[Reporter]

In a speech delivered early yesterday morning (September 24) Korean time at the United Nations General Assembly, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise announcement that two North Korean POWs captured by Ukrainian forces were sent to South Korea.

[Volodymyr Zelenskyy / President of Ukraine: Recently, we sent two North Korean prisoners of war captured by the Ukrainian military to the Republic of Korea.]

He made the remarks while criticizing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, stating that "Kim Jong Un is using North Korean soldiers like currency to receive rewards."

The South Korean government virtually confirmed President Zelenskyy's remarks, stating, "We have maintained necessary communications and consultations with the Ukrainian side."

It appears that only a few days have passed since the two prisoners arrived in South Korea.

A North Korean defector group that has supported the prisoners stated that it sent North Korean food to the local detention facility in Ukraine as recently as September 14.

[Jang Se-yul / Head of Gyeore-eol Unification Solidarity: We delivered hometown food on September 14. We sent it to the POW camp and received firm confirmation from the guards that it was delivered to our prisoners.]

People Power Party Lawmaker Yoo Yong-won, who previously met the prisoners in person, also said, "I understand that the Ukrainian government recently decided on a policy to send the prisoners without conditions," adding:

[Yoo Yong-won / People Power Party Lawmaker: I understand that they departed Ukraine last weekend and arrived in South Korea three to four days ago via a third country.]

The two North Korean POWs were captured by Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region of Russia in January of last year.

[North Korean POW (January 2025): They won't send me home, right? (Do you want to go home?) If they tell me to go, I will.]

Although they were not enthusiastic about going to South Korea in the beginning,

[North Korean POW / Interview on Feb. 25, 2025 (Source: Office of People Power Party Lawmaker Yoo Yong-won): I think I am beginning to make up my mind. I think I need to think about it a bit more.]

In October of last year, they expressed their desire to go to South Korea through a letter sent to a North Korean defector group.

Subsequently, the issue of the North Korean prisoners was discussed during the first summit between President Lee Jae-myung and President Zelenskyy in July, and one year and eight months after being captured on the battlefield, the two North Korean soldiers finally set foot on South Korean soil.

The two men are currently reported to be safely in the custody and protection of the relevant authorities.

(Video by Shin Dong-hwan | Video Editing by Lee Seung-jin | Design by Park Cheon-woong)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.