South Korea to consult with Ukraine if captured North Korea soldiers seek defection

Seoul, Jan 14 (IANS) The South Korean government plans to consult with Ukraine about bringing North Korean soldiers captured by Ukraine to the South if they request defection, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woong made the remarks during a regular press briefing following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's recent revelation that two North Korean soldiers were captured by Ukraine in Russia's western Kursk region while fighting for Russia.

In a video later shared by Zelensky, one of the North Korean soldiers was seen asking if Ukrainians were all good people and, after an interpreter replied positively, saying, "I want to live here."

"As North Korean soldiers are our nationals according to the Constitution, (the government) plans to hold discussions with Ukraine if they request defection to South Korea," the spokesperson said.

South Korea's Constitution defines the entire Korean Peninsula as its territory, effectively recognising all residents on the peninsula as its nationals.

The ministry spokesperson, however, stated that neither of the two captured soldiers has expressed an intention to defect to the South, adding that relevant South Korean authorities are currently in communication with Ukraine regarding matters concerning them.

On Sunday, South Korea's spy agency confirmed Ukraine's capture of two North Korean soldiers last week and pledged close cooperation with its Ukrainian counterpart to continue sharing related information, Yonhap news agency reported.

North Korea is estimated to have sent some 11,000 troops to support Russia in its war against Ukraine. Of those, 300 are believed to have been killed, with some 2,700 others wounded, according to the National Intelligence Service.

On January 13, Zelensky said that Ukraine was prepared to hand over captured North Korean soldiers in exchange for Ukrainian captives in Russia, a day after revealing the country's seizure of two wounded North Korean soldiers.

Zelensky made the proposal on his account on the social media platform X on Sunday (local time) in English, Ukrainian, and Korean, following his announcement the previous day that two wounded North Korean soldiers had been captured in Russia's western Kursk region.

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