Ukraine has handed over two North Korean soldiers captured while fighting alongside Russian forces to South Korea, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
Zelensky disclosed the transfer in an address to the United Nations General Assembly, saying the two prisoners of war were no longer in Ukrainian custody.
“Recently, we sent two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea,” the Ukrainian president said.
South Korea, however, has not publicly confirmed that the transfer has taken place.
“It is difficult to confirm whether the individuals have been handled, the timing and route, or the specific details about the consultations between the two countries,” a South Korean foreign ministry official said, citing concerns over the soldiers’ safety.
The two North Korean soldiers were captured by Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region in January last year after being deployed there to assist Russian troops fighting Ukraine.
Zelensky gave limited details about the transfer but recalled the circumstances surrounding the capture of one of the soldiers.
“These guys are not easy to capture alive. One of them, when he realised he was going to be taken prisoner, tried to kill himself. And he was shocked that fate did not let him die,” he said.
The two men were among thousands of North Korean troops deployed to Russia as part of the growing military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.
South Korean and Ukrainian estimates have put the number of North Korean troops sent to Russia since 2024 at between 14,000 and 15,000. Most were deployed to the Kursk region, where Russian forces were attempting to repel a Ukrainian military incursion.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service estimated in February 2026 that approximately 6,000 North Korean soldiers had been killed or wounded during the fighting.
South Korea had previously indicated that it would accept North Korean prisoners of war who wanted to resettle in the country, according to an earlier report by the Kyiv Independent.
The issue was also discussed during a meeting between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Zelensky in July on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara. Yonhap reported that both leaders agreed that the soldiers’ wishes should be taken into account when determining their future.
South Korean media have reported that the two captured soldiers expressed a desire to defect to South Korea.
NK News reported that the soldiers were born in 1999 and 2005 and had indicated that they wanted to move to the South.
The development comes as North Korea continues to strengthen its military relationship with Russia.
Earlier this month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un praised troops involved in what state media described as “overseas military operations” during celebrations marking the country’s 78th anniversary.
Speaking at an event in Pyongyang, Kim thanked workers and soldiers for their contributions to the state and expressed what KCNA described as “special gratitude and respect” for commanders and troops “participating in overseas military operations”.
North Korea has also supplied Russia with artillery ammunition and missiles as military ties between the two countries have expanded.
Zelensky criticised the deployment of North Korean troops during his UN address, questioning why soldiers from the country were being sent to fight in a war outside their homeland.
“This is madness too. Why should Koreans give their lives in a war against Ukraine? Kim Jong Un uses them like currency. And he gets something in return.”
The growing military partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang has raised concerns in South Korea and among its allies over the possibility of Russia providing assistance to North Korea’s military programmes.
North Korea has continued developing its weapons capabilities and earlier this year indicated that Kim could consider returning to talks with the United States if Washington abandoned what Pyongyang describes as its “hostile policy” and recognised North Korea’s status as a nuclear state.
