Announcement at the United Nations
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, in an address to the United Nations General Assembly that his country had transferred two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea. He described the two men as difficult to capture alive, saying one tried to take his own life when he realized he would be taken prisoner and was shocked that fate did not let him die. Zelenskyy did not give further details about the return.[S1]
Ukraine seized the pair in Russia's Kursk area during January of the previous year. No other North Korean troops had been taken alive before them, a first since Pyongyang entered the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2024. When they were caught, Zelenskyy offered to transfer them to Kim Jong Un should that make it possible to bring home Ukrainians detained in Russia.[S1]
Seoul's Response and the Prisoners' Wishes
Rights organizations pressed Zelenskyy to send the two back to South Korea, warning about the danger of reprisals they confronted. Reports in South Korean outlets said the men had voiced a wish to defect south. Seoul's Foreign Ministry declined to verify the situation, among it the date of any return, saying the soldiers' and their relatives' safety was at stake. The unification ministry gave no immediate answer when asked to comment.[S1]
Seoul announced in June that it would take in any North Korean POWs who had been fighting on Russia's side, and it rejected sending them back to either Russia or North Korea.[S1]
North Korea's Role in the War
Zelenskyy further condemned Pyongyang for dispatching troops to serve Russia, describing the move as madness and questioning why Koreans ought to die in a war against Ukraine, adding that Kim Jong Un treats them as a kind of currency while gaining something in exchange. Ukrainian and South Korean figures put the number of North Korean troops sent since 2024 at roughly 14,000 to 15,000. The bulk were stationed in Russia's Kursk region, aiding Moscow's troops in pushing back a Ukrainian incursion.[S1]
Based on Ukrainian and independent evaluations, Pyongyang has additionally provided Moscow with millions of artillery and mortar shells, ballistic missiles, long-range artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems.[S1]
