North Korean POWs seek South Korea

North Korean POWs seek South Korea is the central new development confirmed by an activist involved in a documentary project. Two soldiers from North Korea, captured by Ukrainian forces earlier this year, told a South Korean producer during late-October interviews near Kyiv that they want to go to the South. The group Gyeore-eol Nation United, which supports North Korean defectors, helped coordinate the filming and described the appeal as explicit and emotional.

The shift matters because only one of the two had previously expressed interest in going to the South. In February, a South Korean lawmaker who met the pair relayed that only a single captive had voiced that intention. The new statements indicate that both now want the same outcome. The activist account also describes mental health strain after a long period in custody, which may be shaping the urgency of their request.

Prior stance and the path to the new request

The first reports about the two captives appeared in January, when Ukraine’s president wrote online that Ukrainian troops had captured North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region inside Russia. The men were reportedly part of a North Korean contingent deployed to support Russia’s war. North Korea’s leadership later praised deployed personnel as “heroes,” while Seoul’s intelligence and independent analysts continued to track casualty figures and unit movements.

In February, South Korean lawmaker Yu Yong-weon visited the detainees and said returning them to the North would be a death sentence. At that time, he said one prisoner spoke of hopes for a civilian life, including a home and family in the South. The updated testimony from late October shows that both captives have aligned on the same goal. North Korean POWs seek South Korea is now a joint request, not a split view between two individuals.

Where the prisoners are held and who interviewed them

The interviews took place at a detention facility near Kyiv where the prisoners have been held since early 2025. According to the activist account, a South Korean documentary producer conducted on-camera conversations with each man. Photos provided by defectors’ groups show the captives receiving donated food and clothing during the visit. In one image, a hand-drawn portrait of Kim Jong-un is visible above a bed inside the room.

The activist Jang Se-yul, who leads a defectors’ organization, says that after the interview session both prisoners directly asked to be taken to South Korea. North Korean POWs seek South Korea is how he summarized their final message to the producer. He says the team shared video messages and letters from North Korean defectors to encourage the detainees. Ukrainian officials, he adds, described signs of psychological instability and self-harm attempts during detention.

Legal and diplomatic context around a transfer

The South Korean government has previously stated that the country’s constitution recognizes North Koreans as also being South Korean citizens. Officials in Seoul have notified Ukraine that they are willing to receive the captives if their intention is confirmed through proper channels. The statement suggests a possible legal path, but it does not resolve the practical steps required between Kyiv and Seoul.

Any movement will depend on Ukraine’s procedures for prisoners captured on its territory or transferred to its custody, as well as on international law and the war context. There has been no public confirmation of progress on a transfer timeline. North Korean POWs seek South Korea captures the request, but the final decision sits with Ukraine’s authorities, and potentially with partner governments involved in prisoner matters during active conflict.

How the North Korean deployment became part of the war

Several intelligence assessments during 2024 and 2025 described a substantial North Korean military presence supporting Russia, including thousands of personnel working close to the border regions. One set of reports, repeated by South Korean and Western agencies, said more than 10,000 North Korean troops were sent, many to the Kursk area. Later South Korean briefings raised the figure to about 15,000 since October last year, which would indicate an expanded deployment over time.

Casualty estimates vary between sources. Some intelligence updates have cited about 2,000 North Korean soldiers killed. Other assessments point to around 600 killed and more than 4,000 injured. Both sets of numbers describe heavy losses for units that North Korea has presented at home as fulfilling an important duty. The prisoners in Ukraine were reportedly part of those formations, and their capture placed them under Ukrainian control for the rest of this year.

Treatment, health status, and requests from detention

During the late-October visit, the activist group said the captives appeared physically stable, with one exception. The soldier who had a jaw wound at the time of capture now shows healing but with some bone distortion. They asked through intermediaries for medicine for eye conditions, warm clothing, trousers, cigarettes, pens and books. Ukrainian officials have reportedly monitored their condition closely, given the signs of psychological distress.

North Korean POWs seek South Korea is not simply a political message. It is tied to the day-to-day realities of detention in wartime. The producer’s team provided basic supplies and gathered testimony for a documentary about defectors. The group says it wants to show the human consequences of North Korea’s decision to send troops abroad, including the pressures soldiers face if capture becomes likely.

Orders and pressure reported by the captives

Accounts given to visiting South Koreans earlier this year described instructions allegedly given to North Korean soldiers to avoid capture at all costs, including by killing themselves with grenades if wounded and isolated. A South Korean lawmaker who relayed those claims called forced return a de facto death sentence. North Korean POWs seek South Korea can be read partly against this background, where refusing repatriation is seen by the prisoners as a way to avoid punishment.

While these reports cannot be confirmed independently from inside North Korea, they match the broader pattern of extreme control described in other soldier testimonies that surface when soldiers are taken prisoner abroad. The alleged orders function as both a deterrent against surrender and a warning about consequences if a soldier appears alive in enemy custody. That dynamic adds urgency to any request for transfer to the South.

How Seoul and Kyiv could proceed from here

If Ukraine confirms the prisoners’ intent through formal statements and consents to a transfer, Seoul could arrange reception and processing in line with South Korean law. The constitutional position that views North Koreans as South Korean citizens helps to provide a legal basis. However, the wartime setting means that Ukrainian prosecutors, military authorities, and possibly international partners must verify that a transfer does not conflict with ongoing investigations or with prisoner protocols.

South Korean agencies will also consider security screening and health checks for the two men. North Korean POWs seek South Korea describes their end goal, but transit, identity verification, debriefing and resettlement procedures will require coordination. None of the sources reports a fixed date or a signed agreement. For now, officials in Seoul say they have expressed willingness to receive the men if all conditions are met.

Conflicting numbers and what they tell us

The sources diverge on the size of the North Korean deployment and on the casualty totals. One report emphasizes more than 10,000 troops sent in 2024, with around 2,000 dead to date. Another raises the total deployed to about 15,000 since October last year, with around 600 dead and over 4,000 wounded. Differences may reflect different time frames, methods, or access to information.

Such gaps are common in wartime reporting. Analysts typically look at overlapping ranges instead of single-point estimates. If there are at least several thousand troops and hundreds to thousands of casualties, then the scale of North Korea’s involvement is significant. North Korean POWs seek South Korea also implies that at least some personnel, once outside their home command structure, will consider alternatives when they see a path to resettlement.

Political narratives in Pyongyang and Moscow

State media in North Korea has celebrated the overseas units, describing them as assigned to the most important duty. Russian and North Korean leaders have strengthened military ties through public ceremonies and statements. These narratives conflict with the reality of prisoners in Ukrainian custody asking to go to the South. North Korean POWs seek South Korea is not a message that Pyongyang wants to circulate, because it breaks the image of unity and resolve.

For Moscow, the presence of foreign allied troops is designed to project depth and partnership. The visibility of captured foreign soldiers introduces another layer to prisoner exchanges, information operations, and battlefield morale. Ukraine’s decision to publicize captures, including the earlier message by President Volodymyr Zelensky, shows that Kyiv sees strategic value in highlighting who is fighting on Russia’s side and what happens when those troops are detained.