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Ukraine sent two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea, Zelenskyy says

Zelensky said the transfer followed a plea by the soldiers to defect, and Ukraine says North Korea has sent about 14,000 to 15,000 troops to Russia.

  • On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukraine recently transferred two North Korean POWs to South Korea captured during its incursion into Russia's Kursk region.
  • The two North Korean soldiers were apprehended in early 2025, marking the first such troops captured alive since North Korea joined the Russia-Ukraine war in 2024.
  • Born in 1999 and 2005, the prisoners expressed desire to defect to South Korea; one attempted suicide upon capture, and Zelenskiy noted he "was shocked that fate did not let him die."
  • North Korea has sent around 14,000 soldiers to support Russia since 2024, according to Ukrainian and South Korean estimates, with most deployed in Kursk and supplies sent to Moscow.
  • Zelenskiy criticized North Korean leader Kim Jong, stating he "uses them like currency" to gain concessions, questioning why Koreans should die in the Russia-Ukraine war.
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Right

Zelensky, who continued to call himself the President of Ukraine, stated that Kiev had sent two North Korean prisoners to South Korea; he had reported this to the United Nations General Assembly but had not specified when and how the transfer took place.

Center

"Should have taken a proactive stance… Hope an opportunity is created to reveal the reality of North Korea's participation in the war" Reporters Park Soo-yoon, Kwon Hee-won, and Lee Yul-lip = On the 24th, People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Yong-won stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently sent two North Korean soldiers captured alive by the Ukrainian military to South Korea.

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Washington Times broke the news in Washington, United States on Wednesday, September 23, 2026.
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