South Korea declines to confirm Zelensky's announced North Korean POW transfer

Kim Jong Un accused of using troops ‘like currency’ for Moscow benefits

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky disclosed the transfer of the two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea during his address to the General Assembly on Wednesday, saying, “Recently, we sent two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea.”

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry did not deny the report but declined on Thursday to confirm whether the soldiers had arrived or to provide details of any transfer, according to Yonhap News Agency. A ministry official said Seoul had held the necessary consultations with Ukraine and other parties and remained committed to respecting the prisoners’ wishes and handling their case under international law and humanitarian principles.

The two soldiers were captured by Ukrainian forces in January 2025 after being deployed to Russia’s Kursk region, where North Korean troops have fought alongside Russian counterparts. After their capture, the prisoners expressed a desire to go to South Korea through a Seoul-based North Korean defector group.

Speaking at the General Assembly, Zelensky described the difficulty of taking the soldiers alive. “These guys are not easy to capture alive,” he said. “One of them, when he realized he was going to be taken prisoner, tried to kill himself, and he was shocked that fate didn’t let him die.”

Zelensky used the soldiers’ case to condemn North Korea’s role in the war. He said North Korean soldiers had suffered heavy losses while fighting for Russia and accused Kim of using them “like currency” in exchange for benefits from Moscow. Zelensky also warned that North Korea was gaining military capabilities through the partnership.

“North Korea’s neighbors and countries across Asia have probably already noticed its improved ballistic missiles and Pyongyang’s much greater drone capabilities,” Zelensky said.

The fate of the two prisoners had been the subject of months of discussions between Seoul and Kyiv. South Korea has said North Koreans are considered its citizens under its Constitution and that it would accept the prisoners if they wished to come. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Zelensky agreed at a July meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara to address the case on humanitarian grounds while respecting the soldiers’ wishes.

In July, Zelensky said Moscow was seeking as many as 30,000 additional North Korean troops. He warned again in August that Pyongyang was gaining battlefield experience through the deployment and had supplied Moscow with more ballistic missiles.

North Korea and Russia have deepened military cooperation since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Pyongyang has acknowledged sending troops to support Russia’s campaign in Kursk and has publicly honored soldiers killed there.