Ukraine sent 2 captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea, Zelenskyy says

Ukraine has transferred two captured North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. He said one of the soldiers tried to kill himself when he realized he would be taken prisoner. Zelenskyy did not give more details about the transfer.

Ukraine captured the two North Koreans in Russia’s Kursk region in January last year.

They were the first North Korean soldiers to be apprehended alive since North Korea joined the Russia-Ukraine war in 2024.

South Korea said in June that it would accept all North Korean prisoners of war who fought for Russia and opposed any repatriation to Russia or North Korea.

Published Sep 24, 2026 9:08 am KST

Updated Sep 24, 2026 11:01 am KST

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the 81st session of the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly at the U.N. Headquarters in New York City, Sept. 23, in this Getty Images photo. AFP-Yonhap

UNITED NATIONS/SEOUL — Ukraine has transferred two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday in an address to the United Nations General Assembly.

"Recently, we sent two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea," said Zelenskyy in his speech.

"These guys are not easy to capture alive. One of them, when he realized he was going to be taken prisoner, tried to kill himself. And he was shocked that fate did not let him die."

Zelenskyy did not provide more details about the return. Ukraine captured the two North Koreans in Russia's Kursk region in January last year. They were the first North Korean soldiers to be apprehended alive since the country joined the Russia-Ukraine war in 2024.

Zelenskyy said at the time that he would hand them over to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un if he could facilitate their exchange for Ukrainians held captive in Russia.

Human rights groups, however, urged him to repatriate them to South Korea citing the risks of punishments the soldiers faced. South Korean media reported that the two captured soldiers had expressed their desire to defect to South Korea.

The combined images show two North Korean prisoners of war held by Ukraine / Captured from Security Service of Ukraine's Facebook account

South Korea's foreign ministry said it would not be able to confirm the matter, including details such as the timing of their return, citing the safety of the soldiers and their families. The country's unification ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

South Korea in June said it would accept all North Korean prisoners of war who fought for Russia and opposed any repatriation of them to Russia or North Korea.

Zelenskyy also criticised North Korea for sending its troops to fight for Russia.

"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," he said.

North Korea has sent around 14,000 to 15,000 soldiers since 2024 to support Russia's war against Ukraine, according to Ukrainian and South Korean estimates. Most of them have been deployed in the Russian region of Kursk, where they helped Moscow's forces repel a Ukrainian incursion.

The country has also supplied Russia with millions of artillery and mortar rounds, ballistic missiles, long-range artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems, according to Ukrainian and independent assessments.

乌克兰总统泽连斯基在纽约联合国大会上表示，乌克兰已将两名被俘的朝鲜战俘移交给韩国。他说，其中一名士兵在意识到自己将被俘后曾试图自杀。泽连斯基没有透露更多关于此次移交的细节。

去年1月，乌克兰在俄罗斯库尔斯克地区抓获了两名朝鲜人。

他们是自朝鲜于 2024 年加入俄乌战争以来，首批被活捉的朝鲜士兵。

韩国在6月份表示，将接收所有为俄罗斯作战的朝鲜战俘，并反对将他们遣返回俄罗斯或朝鲜。

发布于2026年9月24日上午9:08（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年9月24日上午11:01（韩国标准时间）

乌克兰总统泽连斯基于9月23日在纽约联合国总部向联合国大会第81届会议发表讲话。（图片来源：Getty Images，法新社/韩联社）

联合国/首尔——乌克兰总统泽连斯基周三在联合国大会上发表讲话称，乌克兰已将两名朝鲜战俘移交给韩国。

泽连斯基在讲话中说：“最近，我们向大韩民国送去了两名朝鲜战俘。”

“这些人活捉起来并不容易。其中一个人意识到自己要被俘虏时，试图自杀。他很惊讶命运没有让他死。”

泽连斯基没有提供更多关于遣返的细节。乌克兰去年1月在俄罗斯库尔斯克地区抓获了这两名朝鲜人。他们是自朝鲜2024年加入俄乌战争以来首批被活捉的朝鲜士兵。

泽连斯基当时表示，如果朝鲜领导人金正恩能够促成他们与被俄罗斯扣押的乌克兰人交换，他将把这些人交给金正恩。

然而，人权组织敦促他将他们遣返回韩国，理由是这些士兵面临惩罚的风险。韩国媒体报道称，这两名被俘士兵已表达了叛逃韩国的意愿。

合成图像显示的是两名被乌克兰关押的朝鲜战俘 / 图片来自乌克兰安全局的Facebook账号

韩国外交部表示，出于对士兵及其家属安全的考虑，无法证实此事，包括他们回国的具体时间等细节。韩国统一部尚未对此置评。

韩国在6月份表示，将接收所有为俄罗斯作战的朝鲜战俘，并反对将他们遣返回俄罗斯或朝鲜。

泽连斯基还批评朝鲜派兵为俄罗斯作战。

“这简直太疯狂了。为什么要让韩国人在对乌克兰的战争中牺牲？金正恩把他们当成筹码，而他自己却从中获利，”他说。

据乌克兰和韩国方面估计，自2024年以来，朝鲜已向俄罗斯派遣了约14000至15000名士兵，以支持俄罗斯对乌克兰的战争。其中大部分士兵部署在俄罗斯库尔斯克地区，协助莫斯科军队击退了乌克兰军队的入侵。

根据乌克兰方面和独立机构的评估，该国还向俄罗斯提供了数百万发炮弹和迫击炮弹、弹道导弹、远程火炮和多管火箭炮系统。