Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed on the 12th (local time) in Korean to exchange two captured North Korean soldiers for Ukrainian troops detained in Russia. He also released a video of interrogations conducted on the North Korean soldiers.
The image shows a North Korean soldier captured by the Ukrainian military. Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, X (formerly Twitter) account.
President Zelensky stated on X (formerly Twitter) in Korean, "Ukraine is ready to hand over North Korean citizens to Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the North Korean National Defense Commission, only if Kim Jong-un can organize (promote) an exchange of Ukrainian prisoners of war detained in Russia for North Korean soldiers."
He wrote, "Besides the initially captured (North Korean) soldiers, there are undoubtedly others," adding, "It is only a matter of time before the Ukrainian military captures more." He also asserted, "No one in the world should doubt that the Russian military relies on North Korean military support," and "Now, he (Russian President Vladimir Putin) can do nothing without North Korean military support."
President Zelensky continued, "There may be other options for North Korean soldiers who do not wish to return," and "Especially for those who want to widely spread the truth about this war in Korean to hasten peace, there will be opportunities." This suggests that if the captured North Korean soldiers do not want to return home, alternative choices are possible.
The post was separately published in Korean alongside English and Ukrainian. Earlier, President Zelensky announced that his forces had captured two North Korean soldiers in Russia's western Kursk region the previous day, releasing photos showing their appearance and military IDs. The captured North Korean soldiers are known to have been born in 2005 and 1999.
Along with this, President Zelensky released a video showing the interrogation of the captured North Korean soldiers. The interrogation was conducted through an interpreter who spoke Korean.
One North Korean soldier, lying on a bed with bandaged hands, shook his head in response to questions such as "Do you know where you are now?" and "Did you know you were fighting against Ukraine?" When asked "Who did your commanders say you were fighting against?" the soldier replied, "They said we were training as if it were real combat." When asked if he wanted to return to North Korea, he hesitated but then asked, "Are all Ukrainians good?" and said, "I want to live here." When asked if he would stay if told to remain in Ukraine, he nodded, although he said he would go home if ordered.
Another North Korean soldier nodded when asked if he wanted to return to North Korea. However, he shook his head when asked if his family in North Korea knew his whereabouts. President Zelensky previously revealed that about 4,000 North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia and involved in the Ukraine war have been casualties. Approximately 12,000 North Korean troops are reportedly integrated into Russian marine and airborne units, opposing Ukrainian forces. They have repeatedly engaged in human wave-style assaults and have been exposed defenselessly to Ukrainian drone strikes and artillery fire.
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