Two North Korean soldiers who fought on Russia’s side and were captured by Ukrainian troops say they want to relocate to South Korea.
The North Koreans even wrote letters making the request, Yonhap reported, citing Jang Se-yul, the head of a group of North Korean defectors in South Korea.
According to him, two captured DPRK soldiers, about 20 years old, wrote such a letter in October, and it was delivered to the group in early December.
“We have decided to go to South Korea, considering those in South Korea our parents and brothers,” the letter reads.
The letter was delivered in early December by a South Korean documentary producer who visited a POW camp near Kyiv. In it, the prisoners say they consider South Koreans their brothers.
The prisoners also reportedly expressed gratitude to those who told them that the situation they face is “not a tragedy, but the beginning of a new life.”
South Korean officials said they have already notified the Ukrainian government of their readiness to accept the North Korean POWs if their intentions are verified.
since October 2024 North Korea has sent about 13,000 troops and weapons to support Russia’s war in Ukraine, with roughly 2,000 of them reported killed.
Earlier, Kim Jong Un urged North Korean soldiers to blow themselves up if captured in Ukraine.
