Zelenskyy: "We Recently Sent Two North Korean POWs to South Korea"

【Financial News, New York — Correspondent Lee Byung-chul】 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he recently sent to South Korea two North Korean prisoners of war who had been deployed to support Russia and captured by Ukrainian forces. Although it had been reported that they wanted to go to South Korea, this is the first time their actual transfer has been made public.
Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on the 23rd local time, President Zelenskyy asked, "Why should North Koreans lay down their lives in a war against Ukraine?" He added, "Recently, we sent two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea."
He said that one of the prisoners had attempted suicide after being captured, claiming, "This is how they are raised in North Korea—by taking away people's freedom and their right to choose."
President Zelenskyy also warned that North Korea's deployment of troops to Russia was strengthening the country's military capabilities. "Kim Jong Un uses them as if they were currency and gets something in return," he said. "Asian countries must already have noticed North Korea's improved ballistic missiles and greatly advanced drone capabilities."
The two North Korean prisoners of war were captured by Ukrainian forces last January. They later expressed their wish to go to South Korea in handwritten letters delivered to South Korean groups supporting North Korean defectors. However, the specific timing and route of the transfer have not yet been disclosed.



[email protected] Lee Byung-chul, correspondent Reporter