(Adnkronos) – The Seoul authorities have said they are willing to welcome North Korean soldiers who were captured on Ukrainian territory while fighting alongside Russian troops and who intend to desert. This was announced by the South Korean Foreign Ministry in a statement specifying that “North Korean soldiers are South Korean citizens according to the Constitution. Respecting the will of these individuals is in accordance with international law”.
According to the latest information, numerous North Korean soldiers were injured during the conflict, after being deployed in support of Russia under the strategic defense agreement reached last year between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Ukrainian authorities announced the capture of two North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian troops in the Russian province of Kursk, where Kiev launched a military operation last summer. The Kiev government has offered to return them to North Korea if Pyongyang was willing to facilitate an exchange with Ukrainian soldiers currently detained in Russia.
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky estimated that some 4,000 North Korean soldiers were killed or wounded in Kursk, although the number has not been verified. The announcement by the South Korean government comes after one soldier said in an interview with the daily ‘Chosun Ilbo’ that he intends to seek asylum in South Korea. The ministry now maintains that “they should not be sent back to a place where they could be persecuted.”
