New York: Ukraine has transferred two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday in an address to the United Nations General Assembly.
He did not provide more details about the return. Ukraine captured the two North Koreans in Russia's Kursk region in January last year. They were the first North Korean soldiers to be apprehended alive since the country joined the Russia-Ukraine war in 2024.
Zelenskyy said at the time that he would hand them over to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un if he could facilitate their exchange for Ukrainians held captive in Russia. Human rights groups, however, urged him to repatriate them to South Korea citing the risks of punishments the soldiers faced. South Korean media reported that the two captured soldiers had expressed their desire to defect to South Korea.
South Korea's foreign ministry said it would not be able to confirm the matter, including details such as the timing of their return, citing the safety of the soldiers and their families. The country's unification ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.