Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Sunday that he is willing to return captured North Korean soldiers to Pyongyang in exchange for Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia.
This proposal followed Ukraine’s report of capturing two wounded North Korean soldiers fighting against Kyiv’s forces in Russia’s Kursk region, though no evidence of their nationality was provided.
On Sunday, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service supported Ukraine’s claim, confirming to AFP that Ukrainian forces had detained two North Korean soldiers on January 9 in the Kursk region.
“Ukraine is prepared to return Kim Jong Un’s soldiers if he agrees to exchange them for our soldiers held in Russian captivity,” Zelensky stated on X.
He also warned that Kyiv would likely capture more North Korean soldiers in the future.
For North Korean soldiers unwilling to return home, Zelensky mentioned that “alternative options may be available.” He further offered those seeking to “bring peace closer by spreading the truth about this war in Korean” an opportunity to do so.
Neither Russia nor North Korea has acknowledged the deployment of North Korean troops in Ukraine. However, military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang has intensified since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Zelensky remarked that Russian President Vladimir Putin “cannot function without military aid from Pyongyang.”
He also shared a video showing the interrogation of the two North Korean POWs—one lying on a bunk bed and the other sitting up with a bandaged jaw.
In the footage, one soldier, speaking through an interpreter, claimed he was unaware he was being sent to fight in Ukraine, believing it was merely training.
One of the men expressed a desire to return to North Korea, while the other stated he would follow orders but would prefer to stay and live in Ukraine if given the chance.
