“North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces. [Photo source = Yonhap News],” reads the image caption. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on his Telegram channel on the afternoon of the 12th (local time) a video interrogation of two recently captured North Korean prisoners of war.
The two soldiers, aged 20 and 26, whose Korean names have not yet been disclosed, were lying down or sitting due to injuries as they answered questions from Ukrainian security officials. The interrogation was conducted with a male interpreter who speaks Korean. The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) stated that the questioning was carried out with the assistance of a Korean interpreter who collaborates with the South Korean National Intelligence Service.
The captured North Korean soldiers were asked if they knew their current location, why they were deployed, if they have families, when they were sent to the frontline, and if they wished to return to North Korea.
Soldier A shook his head when asked if he knew where he was and explained that he was told they were engaging in exercises to simulate real combat, not fighting Ukraine after being deployed to Russia. He described the circumstances before his capture by Ukrainian forces, saying, “On January 3rd, I came to the frontline, saw comrades dying, hid in a bunker, got injured on the 5th, and was captured.”
Another soldier, B, nodded when asked if he had a family and expressed a desire to return to North Korea, where his family resides. However, he shook his head when asked if his family was aware of his location.
When Soldier A was asked if he wanted to go back to North Korea, he questioned, “Are all Ukrainians nice?” After the interpreter answered, “I like Ukraine,” he replied, “If told to go (home), I’ll go, but I want to live here.”
President Zelensky further expressed readiness to release the captured North Korean soldiers to North Korea in exchange for the repatriation of Ukrainian soldiers held by Russia. He shared this proposal in Korean, alongside English and Ukrainian, on his social media platforms.
On the platform previously known as Twitter, he posted in Korean, “I am prepared to hand over the North Korean soldiers to Kim Jong Un if there is a possibility to exchange them with Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia. Besides the initially captured soldiers, there are undoubtedly more.”
He emphasized, “No one in the world should doubt that Russian forces rely on North Korean military support. The capture of more by Ukrainian forces is only a matter of time.” He added, “Without North Korean military aid, (Russian President Vladimir Putin) can do nothing,” and “There could be other opportunities for North Korean soldiers who do not wish to return. This is especially true for those wanting to disseminate the truth about this war in Korean to accelerate peace.”