Kyiv is open to negotiating with South Korea over the possible transfer of captured North Korean soldiers, Ukrainian Ambassador to Seoul Dmytro Ponomarenko said in an interview with The Korea Times published on Feb. 5.
Ukrainian forces captured two North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk Oblast in January, marking what President Volodymyr Zelensky called “irrefutable evidence” of Pyongyang’s involvement in Moscow’s full-scale invasion. It remains unclear whether Ukraine has captured additional North Korean soldiers.
Zelensky said on Feb. 6 that the North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) were injured in combat and are currently receiving medical treatment.
While Ukraine and South Korea have yet to begin formal talks, Kyiv is ready to discuss the possible transfer of the soldiers to third countries, Ponomarenko said.
"Given the threat to the life and freedom of North Korean servicemen in the event of their repatriation to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), and if they refuse to go back, we are open for a dialogue with international partners," the ambassador said.
If the captured soldiers choose to return home, Ukraine will be required to repatriate them under the Geneva Conventions.
Ponomarenko called the possibility of negotiations between Kyiv and Pyongyang over the captured North Korean soldiers “a very delicate issue” and declined to comment further.
As of early February, about 8,000 North Korean soldiers are still fighting against Ukraine in Kursk Oblast, Ukraine's spy chief Kyrylo Budanov said.
Up to 12,000 North Korean troops were deployed in the Russian region last fall to support Russian forces in countering a Ukrainian incursion launched six months ago, on Aug. 6 on 2024.
At least 300 North Korean soldiers have been killed and another 2,700 wounded fighting in Russia's Kursk Oblast, South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) claimed in mid-January.
Daria Shulzhenko
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