Seoul and Kyiv agreed today to respect the “free will” of the two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukraine in the war with Russia, in view of their apparent desire to be transferred to South Korea.
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“[The presidents of both countries agreed to resolve the issue of North Korean prisoners of war in Ukraine in a manner compatible with international law and humanitarian principles, respecting the free will of the parties involved,” said South Korean presidential spokesman Kang Yu-jung, after a meeting between the two leaders on the margins of the NATO summit in Ankara.
The two soldiers were captured by Ukrainian forces in early 2025, when fighting in support of Russia in the Kursk region, and expressed their desire to go to South Korea, both in letters released in December and in an interview with the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo.
Moscow, for its part, has requested repatriation in the context of prisoner exchanges, according to South Korean deputy Yu Yong-weon.
The South Korean National Commission on Human Rights asked the Government in April to facilitate the transfer of the military to the country or to another destination and avoid forced repatriation.
Organizations like Human Rights Watch warned, invoking the principle of non-return, that a repatriation to North Korea could expose them to forced disappearance or torture.
The South Korean Government maintains that North Korean soldiers are constitutionally considered citizens of South Korea and would accept any prisoner of war who wishes to go to Seoul.
The case, however, represents a diplomatic complexity for Lee’s policy of distension from Pyongyang, which may interpret the measure as a betrayal of his military.