OMM Redaksiyası
Ukraine has transferred two North Korean soldiers captured while fighting alongside Russian forces to South Korea, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday, according to his remarks at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Zelenskyy said the soldiers had been difficult to capture and had tried to take their own lives rather than surrender.
Soldiers captured in Russia’s Kursk region
Ukrainian forces captured the two North Korean troops in Russia’s Kursk region in early 2025. They had been deployed there to support Russian forces fighting Ukrainian troops who had entered the region.
Kyiv and Seoul later discussed transferring the soldiers to South Korea in line with international law, humanitarian principles and the wishes of the two men.
Transfer agreed on humanitarian grounds
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Zelenskyy agreed in July to address the issue on humanitarian grounds while respecting the soldiers’ wishes.
Zelenskyy also accused North Korean leader Kim Jong Un of treating his soldiers as a form of “currency” in exchange for access to Russian military technologies.
