Seoul: North Korea's acknowledgment of its troop dispatch to Russia to support its war in Ukraine will not affect South Korea's efforts to accept North Korean soldiers captured by Ukraine if they wish to defect to the South, a foreign ministry official said Tuesday. Two North Korean soldiers have been held by Ukrainian forces since January, after they were captured during combat in Russia's western Kursk border region. One of them has expressed in media interviews an intention to defect to the South.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the future of their fate has drawn attention as Russia and North Korea confirmed this week that North Korean troops have been fighting alongside Moscow in the war against Kyiv. "Regardless of North Korea's admission of troop deployment, North Korean soldiers detained by Ukraine are considered prisoners of war and must continue to be protected accordingly," a ministry official told reporters.
The official emphasized that under the Geneva Conventions and international law and practices, these soldiers must not be repatriated to any place where they could face persecution. Some are concerned that North Korea, having confirmed the troop dispatch, could strongly call for their repatriation.
Ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woong stated in a press briefing, "We will provide necessary protection and support ... should they request to come to South Korea." He also mentioned that South Korea has already conveyed this position to the Ukrainian authorities and will continue necessary consultations.