South Korea and Ukraine Address North Korean Prisoners of War Issues

South Korea is in talks with Ukraine regarding North Korean prisoners of war, indicating readiness to accept them under conditions of willing defection. Ukrainian estimates suggest that North Korea has deployed around 11,000 soldiers in support of Russia, with significant casualties reported among them. Both Moscow and Pyongyang refute these claims, whilst implications for captured soldiers prompt serious concerns about their safety and subsequent treatment.

The South Korean government is engaging in discussions with Ukraine regarding North Korean prisoners of war. According to state news agency Yonhap, South Korea expressed its readiness to accept these prisoners, provided they are willing to relocate. During a phone conversation, Foreign Minister Cho Tae Yul conveyed to his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha that these individuals would be regarded as South Korean citizens, contingent on their expressed intention to defect.

Ukraine estimates that North Korea has sent approximately 11,000 soldiers to support Russia in its military actions, marking the unprecedented deployment of North Korean troops in a foreign conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that his forces have either killed or wounded about 4,000 North Korean soldiers during operations in the Kursk region, which Ukrainian forces entered last August, during a significant counteroffensive into Russian territory.

Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied the involvement of North Korean troops in the ongoing war in Ukraine, despite having signed a mutual defense agreement last November, which binds them to aid each other in the event of external aggression. In a prior report from January, President Zelensky mentioned that Ukrainian forces had captured two wounded North Korean soldiers from the battlefield.

Furthermore, a video shared by President Zelensky showed one soldier indicating a desire to remain in Ukraine. Reports indicate that one of the soldiers expressed to South Korea’s Chosun newspaper a willingness to defect and inquired about the possibility of being granted asylum. Conversations between the foreign ministers of both countries arise amidst growing concerns regarding the treatment of North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces.

Concerns regarding the consequences faced by captured North Korean soldiers have been highlighted by defectors. North Korean defector Pak Yusung shared alarming insights, stating, “If the soldiers are captured and tell information to the enemy, their families will be punished, go to a political prison camp, or worse, they will be executed in front of the people,” according to an ABC News report.

In conclusion, discussions between South Korea and Ukraine are focusing on the fate of North Korean prisoners of war. South Korea’s willingness to accept defectors under specific conditions signifies a potential shift in handling such cases. The involvement of North Korean soldiers in the Ukraine conflict has raised significant concerns, both about their treatment and the consequences faced by their families, underscoring the complex dynamics of international relations in this context.

Original Source: www.independent.co.uk