Seoul’s spy agency says North Korean soldiers captured in Ukraine haven’t shown desire to defect
Associated PressJAN 11
Zelenskyy Says Ukraine Prepared to Exchange North Korean Prisoners of War
Above: Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy pictured on Dec. 19, 2024. Image copyright: Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto/Contributor via Getty Images
The Facts
Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that his country is "ready to hand over" captured North Korean soldiers in exchange for Ukrainian troops held in Russia.
Earlier in the weekend, Zelenskyy said that two North Korean soldiers were captured in Russia's Kursk region and that they were receiving medical treatment in Kyiv where they were in the custody of the Security Service of Ukraine.
"In addition to the first captured soldiers from North Korea, there will undoubtedly be more," Zelenskyy later wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "It's only a matter of time before our troops manage to capture others."
The Spin
Pro-Ukraine narrative
Russian Pres. Putin started this war with ultimatums to NATO and with the intention of rewriting history. Three years later, he has been unable to achieve his aims and is dependent on North Korea for assistance. Ukraine is prepared to exchange these captured troops while for others who wish to remain, there may be other options.
Establishment-critical narrative
The Geneva Conventions governing the rules of war state that prisoners of war must be protected against public curiosity. In broadcasting images and videos of the North Korean troops, Ukraine may have breached those laws.