Zelenskyy said one of the North Korean soldiers wishes to stay in Ukraine while the other wants to return to his country, which was consistent with interview videos released by his government.
Undoubtedly there will be more POWs from North Korea,” Zelenskyy said in an address late Sunday.
The agency said memos found on dead North Korean soldiers indicated that they had been ordered to commit suicide before being captured, according to Lee.
The North Korean forces could be operating special surveillance teams to arrest or execute attempted deserters, he said.
“The current battlefield environment, combined with drones and other technologies, have created situations North Korean soldiers have never encountered before,” Moon said.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — On Monday, South Korea’s spy agency informed lawmakers that two North Korean soldiers had not indicated a wish to apply for asylum in South Korea after being apprehended by Ukrainian forces while fighting alongside Russian forces in the Kursk border region.
If North Korea’s authoritarian leader, Kim Jong Un, sets up a trade with Ukrainian POWs in Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that he is prepared to turn over the troops to the country. In line with interview recordings made public by his government, Zelenskyy stated that one of the North Korean soldiers wants to remain in Ukraine while the other wants to go back to his homeland.
We are willing to transfer these soldiers if Kim Jong Un even recalls these citizens and is able to arrange a trade for our soldiers who are being detained in Russia. In a speech late Sunday, Zelenskyy stated, “There will definitely be more North Korean prisoners of war.”. In a different post on the social media site X, he stated that “there may be other options” for North Korean detainees who are unwilling to return.
READ MORE: Ukrainian intelligence claims North Korean forces are losing a lot of soldiers on the Russian battlefield.
The National Intelligence Service acknowledged its involvement in the interrogation of the North Korean soldiers by Ukrainian authorities during a briefing held behind closed doors at the National Assembly of South Korea. Two lawmakers who were present at the meeting told the agency that the soldiers had not requested to be resettled in South Korea.
In the event that the soldiers do request to visit South Korea, the agency stated that it would be open to speaking with Ukrainian authorities about the situation. Since the late 1990s, roughly 34,000 North Koreans have fled to South Korea, a capitalist rival, in order to escape political repression and economic hardship back home.
The spokesperson for South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which is in charge of inter-Korean relations, Koo Byoungsam, stated that “legal reviews, including on international law, and consultations with related nations” would be necessary in order to facilitate the North Korean soldiers’ asylum. “.”.
“At this point, there is nothing we can say,” Koo stated.
Approximately 300 North Korean soldiers were killed in combat, according to Seoul.
According to Seoul’s spy agency, roughly 300 North Korean soldiers have lost their lives and 2,700 more have been wounded in the conflict with Ukrainian forces, marking North Korea’s first major engagement in a major conflict since the Korean War (1950–1953).
According to the agency, North Koreans are having difficulty adjusting to drones and other aspects of contemporary warfare. According to lawmaker Lee Seong Kweun, who was present at the agency’s briefing, they are further disadvantaged by the crass tactics of their Russian commanders, who have thrown them into assault campaigns without offering rear-fire support.
The agency claimed that documents discovered on deceased North Korean soldiers showed that they had received orders to end their lives prior to being apprehended, according to Lee. As he was in danger of being taken prisoner by Ukrainian forces, the agency reported that one North Korean soldier yelled “General Kim Jong Un” and attempted to set off a hand grenade before being shot and killed.
Days after Ukraine, which was being slowly attacked by Russia in the east, launched fresh attacks in Kursk to hold onto territory taken in a lightning incursion in August — the first occupation of Russian territory since World War II — Zelenskyy confirmed the capture of the North Korean soldiers on Saturday.
Ukrainian forces are exhausted and demoralized by Moscow’s counterattack, which has killed and injured thousands of people and retaken over 40% of the 984 square kilometers (380 square miles) of Kursk that Ukraine had previously taken.
North Koreans have a hard time adjusting to modern warfare and the Kursk terrain.
The high death toll for North Korean soldiers was expected, according to retired South Korean brigadier general Moon Seong Mook, because they would not have been adequately equipped for an unfamiliar mission in the Kursk region, which is very different from North Korea’s mountainous terrain.
According to Moon, who has participated in multiple military discussions with North Korea, another drawback for the North Koreans is that they are not carrying out autonomous operations but are instead being thrown into battle under Russian commanders, potentially fighting with strange tactics and having trouble communicating because of language barriers. He suggested that in order to apprehend or kill attempted deserters, North Korean forces might be using specialized surveillance teams.
Moon stated, “Drones and other technologies, along with the current battlefield environment, have created situations North Korean soldiers have never encountered before.”. The casualties appear to be coming from the fact that they are also being used in large numbers in open fields with nowhere to hide during ongoing battles to retake the area. “.”.
The quality of training that soldiers receive at home may have been impacted by North Korea’s long-standing financial difficulties, which have compelled many of them to cultivate their own food or put in long hours working on construction projects and other jobs to support the country’s economy, Moon said.
Nonetheless, Seoul is worried that North Korea’s involvement in the Ukraine crisis could seriously endanger South Korea because North Korean forces might acquire vital combat experience and Russia might transfer technology that could strengthen North Korea’s nuclear-armed army.
This report was written by Samya Kullab of the Associated Press in Kyiv, Ukraine.