North Korean soldiers captured in Ukraine show no interest in seeking asylum

A military parade to mark the 90th anniversary of North Korea’s army at the Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang in 2022 (KCNA via KNS/AP)

South Korea’s spy agency has confirmed two North Korean soldiers captured behind enemy lines by Ukrainian forces have not expressed interest in seeking asylum in the democratic South.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on the social media platform X that he is willing to hand over the soldiers to North Korea if the nation’s authoritarian leader Kim Jong Un arranges for an exchange with Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russia.