Gov't urged to make all-out efforts to bring back N. Korean POWs in Ukraine
Yu Yong-weon, a lawmaker of South Korea's ruling People Power Party, shows two photographs taken from his meetings with the soldiers in Kyiv on Feb. 25 during an interview in the National Assembly, March 7. Yonhap
The government should mobilize all diplomatic resources to bring back two North Korean prisoners of war held captive in Ukraine, an opposition lawmaker said Thursday, as media reports have said the North Koreans want to defect to South Korea.
Rep. Yu Yong-weon of the main opposition People Power Party also called for President Lee Jae Myung to send special envoys to Kyiv for negotiations with Ukraine authorities to help repatriate the North Koreans to South Korea.
"They are not simply enemies of Ukraine, but potential members of South Korea who yearn for freedom," Yu said in a statement, citing recent media reports that showed the two captives expressed their desire to be sent to South Korea.
Yu said the two should not be repatriated to North Korea under the Third Geneva Convention and the international principle of non-refoulement, or not forcing refugees back to countries where they face the risk of persecution.
He urged President Lee to dispatch a special envoy to Ukraine to finalize the repatriation process by negotiating directly with local authorities.
North Korea has deployed thousands of troops to fight alongside Russian forces in the war against Ukraine since October 2024. Yu met the two North Korean prisoners of war during his visit to Ukraine in February last year.