Ukraine ready to hand over captured North Korean soldiers in exchange for Ukrainian captives: Zelensky

Seoul: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine is 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.

Zelenskyy made the proposal in 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, Yonhap news agency reported.

“Ukraine is ready to hand over Kim Jong Un’s soldiers to him if he can organize their exchange for our warriors who are being held captive in Russia,” Zelenskyy wrote. “In addition to the first captured soldiers from North Korea, there will undoubtedly be more.”

The Ukrainian president said, “There should be no doubt left in the world that the Russian army is dependent on military assistance from North Korea,” adding that “Putin … cannot manage without military support from Pyongyang.”

He also noted that for captured North Korean soldiers who do not wish to return, “There may be other options available.

“In particular, those who express a desire to bring peace closer by spreading the truth about this war in Korean will be given that opportunity,” Zelenskyy stated.

Along with the proposal, the Ukrainian president also shared a video of the two captured North Korean soldiers being interrogated through a Korean interpreter.

One of them, lying on a bunk with bandages on both hands, shook his head when asked, “Do you know where you are now?” and “Did you know you were fighting against Ukraine?”

Asked who his commanders told him they would be fighting against, the wounded soldier responded, “I was told that we were going to do training like an actual battle.”

He said he was deployed to the front lines on January 3 and was wounded and captured two days later while hiding in a shelter. When asked if he wanted to go home, the soldier replied, “I want to live here.”

The other captured soldier, with bandages on his chin, nodded when asked if he wanted to return home but shook his head when asked if his family in North Korea knew his location.

North Korea is estimated to have sent some 11,000 troops to support Russia in its war against Ukraine, according to South Korean officials.

South Korea’s spy agency told South Korean lawmakers last month that at least 100 North Koreans have been killed, with around 1,000 others injured.

–IANS