Top diplomats of S. Korea, Ukraine discuss repatriation of NK POWs

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, right, shakes hands with his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, ahead of their talks on the sidelines of the foreign ministers' meeting of the Group of Seven advanced countries in Fiuggi, Italy, in this November 2024 photo. Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Top diplomats of South Korea and Ukraine held phone talks Monday to discuss the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul discussed the handling of the two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukraine with his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, over the phone, according to the ministry.

Cho told Sybiha that the captured soldiers are considered South Korean citizens under the country's Constitution, and will accept their defection if they express such intent, the ministry said.

A wounded North Korean soldier, captured by Ukrainian forces, is seen in this file photo posted on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Telegram on Jan. 11. Yonhap

The two North Korean soldiers were captured by Ukrainian forces in January during combat against Kyiv in Russia's Kursk region.

North Korea reportedly sent around 11,000 troops to Russia in October last year, and deployed additional forces between January and February this year to aid Russia's war against Ukraine.

During the talks, Cho also said the South Korean government will cooperate with the international community for the restoration of peace and post-war reconstruction of Ukraine.

Sybiha shared the ongoing high-level talks between Ukraine and the United States regarding efforts to end the conflict with Russia and expressed hope for continued collaboration with the international community in promoting peace, it noted. (Yonhap)