South Korea’s spy agency has confirmed two North Korean soldiers captured behind enemy lines by Ukrainian forces have not expressed interest in seeking asylum in the democratic South.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the social media platform X that he is willing to hand over the soldiers to North Korea if the nation’s authoritarian leader Kim Jong Un arranges for an exchange with Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russia.
In addition to the first captured soldiers from North Korea, there will undoubtedly be more. It’s only a matter of time before our troops manage to capture others. There should be no doubt left in the world that the Russian army is dependent on military assistance from North… pic.twitter.com/4RyCfUoHoC
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 12, 2025
Mr Zelensky added that “there may be other options” for North Korean soldiers who do not wish to return home, and a video released by his government indicated that at least one of the captured soldiers expressed a desire to remain in Ukraine.
In a closed-door briefing at South Korea’s National Assembly, the National Intelligence Service confirmed its participation in the questioning of the North Korean soldiers by Ukrainian authorities.
The agency said the soldiers have not expressed a request to resettle in South Korea, according to two legislators who attended the meeting.
The agency said it was willing to discuss the matter with Ukrainian authorities if the soldiers eventually do ask to go to South Korea.
About 34,000 North Koreans have defected to capitalist rival South Korea to avoid economic hardship and political suppression at home, mostly since the late 1990s.
The Ministry of Unification, an executive department in the south, aims to one day unite the separated North and South states into a singular nation.
Ministry of Unification spokesperson Koo Byoungsam said facilitating the asylum of the North Korean soldiers would require “legal reviews, including on international law, and consultations with related nations.”
“There’s nothing we can say at the current stage,” she said.
Seoul’s spy agency believes that about 300 North Korean soldiers have died and another 2,700 have been injured while fighting against Ukrainian forces, in what represents North Korea’s first involvement in large-scale conflict since the 1950-53 Korean War.
The agency assessed that the North Koreans are struggling to adapt to drones and other elements of modern warfare.
Still, there are concerns in Seoul that North Korea’s participation in the Ukraine crisis poses a significant threat to South Korea, as North Korean forces may gain crucial combat experience and Russia may provide technology transfers that could enhance North Korea’s nuclear-armed army.
