South Korea ready to take North Koreans captured by Ukraine

South Korea is ready to offer refuge to two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces on Jan. 9 in Russia’s Kursk region, if they wish to defect to Seoul, according to the country’s government.

“As North Korean soldiers are our nationals according to the Constitution, (the government) plans to hold discussions with Ukraine if they request defection to South Korea,” said Lee Jae-woong, a spokesperson for South Korea’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, on Jan. 14.

South Korea’s Constitution views the entire Korean Peninsula as its territory and recognizes all its inhabitants as citizens.

As of now, neither of the two prisoners has expressed a desire to defect to South Korea. However, in a video shared by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, one of the soldiers says he would not mind staying in Ukraine if permitted.

“The world will learn the full truth about how Russia is exploiting such guys, who grew up in a complete information vacuum, utterly unaware of Ukraine, and who are being used by Russia solely to prolong and escalate this war,” Zelenskyy stated.

During questioning, one of the prisoners claimed he was sent for “training” and was unaware that he would be involved in the war against Ukraine. Since they don’t speak Ukrainian, English, or Russian, the prisoners are communicating through translators.

When they were captured, one of the men had a Russian military identification card issued in someone else’s name and registered in the Russian Republic of Tuva.

“The other prisoner had no documents at all,” said Ukraine’s Security Service (SSU).

One of the soldiers “had been without food or water for 4–5 days before his capture,” according to South Korean intelligence. The men have since received medical care and have been transported to Kyiv.

“They are being held in appropriate conditions that meet international legal standards,” the SSU said.