North Korean POW in Ukraine: 'There is nothing I can do if they don’t take me'
Two North Korean prisoners of war captured in Ukraine are reported to have expressed their desire to defect to South Korea. Yonhap
“I would be grateful if they take me. If they don’t, there’s nothing I can do.”
At first glance, the North Korean prisoner of war captured in Ukraine looked rather calm as he appeared on MBC’s investigative program, “PD Notebook.”
But in reality, only one outcome awaits if he fails to make it to South Korea. “I won’t survive,” said the prisoner, describing what would happen to him if he were returned to North Korea.
In North Korea, soldiers are taught that being captured is an act of treason and urged to choose death instead.
“Everyone else blew themselves up. I failed,” the prisoner said. The two captured soldiers — severely wounded and lamenting that they should have died as well — are just in their 20s. Nevertheless, both expressed an explicit desire to be sent to South Korea, and not repatriated to North.
International law is clear on this matter. Geneva Convention requires prisoners of war to be repatriated after hostilities end. However, if there is credible risk of torture or persecution, repatriation against a prisoner’s will is prohibited.
Seoul’s stance is also clear. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly emphasized that North Korean prisoners are considered South Korean nationals under constitutional interpretation, and that if they seek asylum in the South, the government will accept them and provide protection and assistance.
For South Korea, from a legal perspective — domestically, internationally and constitutionally — there appears to be no obstacle. The challenge, however, lies in politics and diplomacy.
Negotiations over the prisoners are a sensitive issue with broad international implications, including potential backlash from North Korea, coordination with Ukraine and the impact on relations with Moscow.
Ukraine could seek to leverage the issue in discussions over South Korean weapons assistance or participation in reconstruction efforts. Russia, meanwhile, is expected to monitor the situation closely. Moscow has repeatedly warned that providing weapons to Ukraine would cross what it describes as a red line in relations with Seoul.
North Korean prisoners of war identified as Ri, left, and Paek are seen after their capture in 2025. Both had sustained serious injuries at the time, and are shown receiving treatment at an undisclosed location in Kyiv, Ukraine. Captured from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s social media
Against this backdrop, Seoul’s recent handling of the Chinese maritime structure dispute within the Provisional Measures Zone in the West Sea offers a potential template. By avoiding public confrontation while pursuing practical outcomes through quiet diplomacy, the government demonstrated an approach that could be applied to the prisoner issue.
The key is to maintain a clear position without escalating the issue publicly. Seoul is already believed to be engaged in behind-the-scenes negotiations with Ukraine over the transfer of the North Korean prisoners. If talks progress, the final decision is likely to rest with President Lee Jae Myung and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
But the window may be closing. As peace negotiations move forward, the two sides could settle the prisoner issue through a one-time, blanket repatriation.
Kim Young-mi, a conflict documentary producer who interviewed the prisoners, warned that forced repatriation could become a realistic outcome if peace talks accelerate, suggesting the window for alternative arrangements may be narrowing.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.