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Zelenskyy: Ukraine transfers two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea

The POWs, captured alive in Kursk in early 2025, were handed to Seoul after Kyiv and Seoul agreed to honor the soldiers' wishes.

newest coverage 1h agosummary written 1h ago14 pieces1 likes & upvotes NewswiresMastodonReddit

What to know

  • The two men were the first North Korean soldiers captured alive since Pyongyang joined the war in 2024.
  • South Korea's government has not confirmed transfer details, citing safety concerns for the soldiers and their families.
  • Zelenskyy used the announcement to renew criticism of North Korea's troop deployments, saying Kim Jong Un treats soldiers "like currency" in exchange for Russian military technology.
  • North Korea has sent an estimated 14,000-15,000 troops to support Russia since 2024, mostly deployed in Kursk.

“These guys are not easy to capture alive. One of them, when he realized he was going to be taken prisoner, tried to kill himself. And he was shocked that fate did not let him die.”

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine · UN General Assembly address ↗ · Sep 22

Volodymyr ZelenskyyVolodymyr Zelenskyy President of UkraineKim Jong UnKim Jong Un Leader of North KoreaLee Jae MyungLee Jae Myung President of South Korea

Zelenskyy: Ukraine transfers two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea
Jerusalem Post

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts

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  1. 1

    Seoul declines to confirm transfer details, citing soldiers' safety

    South Korea's foreign ministry said it could not confirm details such as the timing of the soldiers' return, citing the safety of the soldiers and their families, and the unification ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

    “Recently, we sent two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea.”
    — Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine · source
    1. 7 outlets Ukraine transfers 2 captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea: Zelenskyy

      first by Anadolu Agency, 10h ago · also The Hindu, Jerusalem Post, NYT, NYT Asia Pacific, Japan Today, Philadelphia Inquirer

      4 more headlines
    • us@pubeurope.com

      https://www. europesays.com/us/1081477/ Ukraine sent two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea, Zelenskiy says # News # NorthKorean # NorthKoreanLeader # PrisonersOfWar # SouthKorea # Ukraine # UkrainianPresident # UnitedNationsGeneralAssembly # VolodymyrZelenskiy # World

      us@pubeurope.comMastodon2h agoview on Mastodon ↗
  2. background

    Zelenskyy accuses Kim Jong Un of using troops as "currency" — In the same UN address, Zelenskyy criticized North Korea for sending soldiers to fight for Russia, saying Kim Jong Un benefits from the deployments in exchange for Russian assistance.

  3. background

    Zelenskyy announces transfer of two North Korean POWs to South Korea — Addressing the 81st UN General Assembly session in New York, Zelenskyy said Ukraine had recently sent the two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea, without giving further details of the handover.

  4. background

    Lee Jae Myung and Zelenskyy agree on humanitarian handling of the case — South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Zelenskyy agreed to resolve the soldiers' transfer on humanitarian grounds while respecting the soldiers' own wishes.

  5. background

    South Korea says it will accept North Korean POWs who fought for Russia — Seoul announced it would take in all North Korean prisoners of war who fought alongside Russian forces and opposed any repatriation of them to Russia or North Korea.

  6. background

    Ukraine captures two North Korean soldiers alive in Kursk — Ukrainian forces captured the two soldiers in Russia's Kursk region after they were deployed to help repel a Ukrainian incursion, marking the first North Korean troops taken alive since Pyongyang joined the war.

  7. background

    Zelenskyy floats exchanging POWs for Kim Jong Un's cooperation — Zelenskyy said at the time he would hand the soldiers to Kim Jong Un if it could facilitate an exchange for Ukrainians held captive in Russia, while human rights groups urged instead that the men be sent to South Korea given risks of punishment.