More than a year has passed since Ukrainian forces captured two North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk region, but the fate of the men remains uncertain as activists accuse South Korea of dragging its feet on their potential resettlement. The soldiers have requested relocation to South Korea, fearing severe punishment – potentially execution – if repatriated to North Korea, where surrendering is considered a grave offense.
“I won’t survive,” one of the soldiers reportedly told the South Korean newspaper Hankook Ilbo. “Everyone else blew themselves up. I failed.” This statement underscores the extreme measures North Korean soldiers are reportedly instructed to take to avoid capture – self-detonation with grenades – a practice reinforced through twice-weekly political indoctrination sessions.
The United Nations has also weighed in, with the UN special rapporteur on North Korea’s human rights record stating in February that Ukraine should adhere to international protocol and avoid sending prisoners of war to a country where they face potential torture. “I would be grateful if they would take me. If they don’t there is nothing I can do,” one of the soldiers was quoted as saying by the South Korean newspaper.
Activists and North Korean defectors explain that North Korean military doctrine explicitly prohibits surrender. Kim Eujin, who fled North Korea as a teenager in the 1990s, told DW, “The regime told its soldiers to kill themselves if it appeared they were going to be captured in Ukraine. These two men did not follow those orders, and they did not die – even if they tried.” She added that the regime is likely to view them as traitors, with repercussions potentially extending to their families.
The fear of repercussions is deeply rooted in historical precedent. Peter Oh, of the Korean American Free Association, explained to DW that historically, returning prisoners of war during and after the Korean War faced forced labor and were classified as hostile elements. “These detainees likely fear similar consequences if they return,” Oh said, adding that their families could also be punished. However, he also noted that Pyongyang might refrain from extreme measures to avoid international scrutiny.
Recent images released by North Korean state media showed Kim Jong-un visiting the family of a North Korean soldier killed in Ukraine, highlighting the regime’s continued involvement and attention to its troops deployed in the conflict.
Despite Article 3 of the South Korean Constitution, which considers North Koreans as citizens of the South, Seoul appears hesitant to accept the two soldiers. More than a year after their capture, the South Korean government has yet to take decisive action. Oh attributes this delay to “complex legal and diplomatic entanglements” involving Ukraine, Russia, North Korea, and South Korea. He suggests that Seoul’s reluctance stems from “sensitive geopolitical implications.”
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung reportedly seeks to improve relations with Pyongyang, and Article 4 of the South Korean Constitution emphasizes “peaceful relations with the North.” However, activists argue that the soldiers’ right to seek asylum should take precedence. “Our position is that, regardless of constitutional interpretation, the soldiers have the right to seek asylum in South Korea or a third country according to their free will,” one activist stated.
Conversations between Seoul and Kyiv regarding the soldiers’ fate appear stalled. A report published by the Korean Institute for National Unification on , emphasized the need for “direct communication between the leaders of South Korea and Ukraine” to break the impasse. Without an agreement, Ukraine could be compelled to hand the men over to Russia.
North Korea has not publicly commented on the two prisoners of war in Ukraine, though back-channel discussions may be underway. Kim Eujin believes there is nothing preventing Ukraine from releasing the men and “nothing in international law” that would prevent them from traveling to South Korea. “They keep saying it’s a ‘complicated issue,’ but I don’t think they are trying hard enough,” she said.
“President Lee, the Ministry of Unification, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs seem more concerned about not upsetting Kim Jong-un than about bringing these men to South Korea,” Eujin observed. “If it were just about their human rights, they would already be here. It’s almost as if the government is looking for excuses for them not to come.”
As of , the situation remains unresolved, leaving the two North Korean soldiers in a precarious legal and humanitarian limbo.
