South Korea has announced it will accept North Korean prisoners of war captured by Ukrainian forces while fighting for Russia if they wish to relocate to the South, citing international law and opposition to forced repatriation.
The proposal was confirmed on Tuesday by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Park Il as Seoul prepares to host Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha for talks with his South Korean counterpart, Cho Hyun, on 30 June.
"If these individuals wish to come to South Korea, we will accept all of them, and, in accordance with the principles of international law, we absolutely cannot accept any forced repatriation to Russia or North Korea against their free will," Il said.
Ukraine confirmed in 2025 that it had captured two North Korean soldiers alive in Russia's Kursk region. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed the captures at the time, marking the first such confirmation since Pyongyang's troops entered the conflict in October 2024.
The deployment of North Korean forces was initially denied by both Moscow and Pyongyang. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin later praised North Korean troops for their role in helping Russia retake the Kursk region in early 2025.
Il said the two foreign ministers would discuss "a wide range of issues of mutual interest and bilateral cooperation", in addition to the issue of North Korean prisoners held in Ukraine.
The meeting comes amid growing cooperation between South Korea and Ukraine, as both countries continue to monitor North Korea's involvement in Russia's war effort.
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