Two North Korean POWs in Ukraine Have Reportedly Been Sent to South Korea

For these POWs going back to North Korea was likely not an option since they were expected to die in combat and would probably face labor camp if they returned after being captured:

Ukraine has recently sent two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces to South Korea, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.

“Recently, we sent two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea,” Zelenskyy said during his address at the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday (U.S. time), referring to South Korea by its official name.

Two North Korean soldiers were captured by Ukrainian forces in early 2025 after being deployed to Russia’s Kursk region in support of Moscow’s war against Ukraine. They have reportedly expressed their desire to come to South Korea.

Yonhap

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