Russia Makes Unusual Push for Repatriation of Only North Korean Prisoners

Ukrainian Official: "Russia Has Inquired Multiple Times About Exchanging North Korean Soldiers"

It has been revealed that Russia is making an unusually aggressive push in negotiations to secure the repatriation of North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces.

Ukrainian media outlet Ukrinform reported on the 4th (local time) an interview with Bohdan Okhrimenko, head of the Prisoner Coordination Headquarters, who oversees prisoner exchange work for the Ukrainian government. Okhrimenko stated, "We are holding a significant number of foreign prisoners of war," but added, "Not once has the Russian side initiated a request for exchange." However, he noted, "The North Korean soldiers are an exception," explaining, "Russia has repeatedly asked whether we are prepared to hand over the North Korean soldiers specifically."

He also emphasized that the Ukrainian government would uphold the Geneva Convention's principle of non-refoulement, stating, "If a prisoner of war does not wish to be repatriated to their home country and there is no alternative, we will continue to accommodate them as long as necessary until the issue is resolved."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on his Telegram channel in January last year that two captured North Korean soldiers were injured and transferred to Kyiv, and are being interrogated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). Photo by Yonhap News Agency, captured by Zelensky's Telegram.

The two North Korean prisoners of war were captured by Ukrainian forces in January 2025. Through handwritten letters delivered to South Korean defector organizations, they have expressed their intention to defect to South Korea.

Meanwhile, on May 9, the Department for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, under the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, announced via social media that it had held a meeting with leaders of organizations for North Korean defectors, including Jang Seyul, head of the Kyereoul Unification Solidarity. During the meeting, Jang and other participants stressed the dangers and potential punishments that the North Korean prisoners of war would face if repatriated to North Korea.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.