Two North Korean POWs Captured by Ukraine... Zelenskyy Says, "We Sent Them to South Korea"

[Financial News] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy unexpectedly revealed on the 23rd (local time) that he had recently sent two North Korean prisoners of war captured by Ukrainian forces to South Korea.
In a speech to the UN General Assembly that day, President Zelenskyy said, "We recently sent two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea." He added, "They were not easy to capture. One of them tried to take his own life when he realized he was about to be captured, and he was shocked that fate would not let him die."
President Zelenskyy criticized North Korea, saying, "This is how people are raised in North Korea. It takes away their freedom and their right to choose." He then asked, "Why should North Koreans sacrifice their lives in the war against Ukraine? Should we give such forces more time to learn how to wage war?"
He claimed, "Kim Jong Un uses them as if they were currency and gets something in return," adding, "Countries across Asia must already have noticed North Korea’s improved ballistic missiles and greatly advanced drone capabilities."
He also said that North Korea had sent troops to support vulnerable areas of the Russian military and that North Korean forces had suffered heavy losses in the process. He stressed that the war and its resulting damage continue to spread because Russia’s war has not been stopped or brought to an end in time.
The two North Korean POWs are reported to have been captured by Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region last January. Their existence became known after President Zelenskyy disclosed their capture on social media at the time. The two men later expressed their wish to go to South Korea through handwritten letters sent to South Korean organizations of North Korean defectors.
The South Korean government has maintained that it would accept the North Korean POWs, since they have expressed their wish to defect, and has been consulting with the Ukrainian government. President Lee Jae Myung also discussed the issue of the North Korean POWs with President Zelenskyy during their first summit on July 8. At the time, the two leaders agreed to resolve the issue in accordance with international law and humanitarian principles while respecting the individuals’ free will.
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