Seoul seeks swift transfer of captured N. Korean soldiers from Ukraine

South Korea is seeking the swift transfer of two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces while fighting for Russia, a senior Foreign Ministry official said Monday, marking the government’s clearest indication yet that Seoul is actively pursuing their relocation to the South.

“We are trying to facilitate their transfer to South Korea as quickly as possible in accordance with their free will,” the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

The official said Seoul and Kyiv have already reached a “basic understanding” on the matter and expressed hope that progress could be made during Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha’s planned visit to South Korea on June 30.

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Describing the issue as one of the key areas of cooperation between Seoul and Kyiv, the official said the government is working to advance the process as quickly as possible.

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READ: N. Korean soldier captured in Ukraine wants to go to S. Korea – report

Asked whether an agreement could be announced during talks between Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Sybiha, the official declined to elaborate but said the government was making efforts toward that goal.

The two North Korean soldiers were captured by Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region in January. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced their capture on Jan. 11, marking the first publicly confirmed case of North Korean troops being taken alive since Pyongyang dispatched forces to support Russia’s war effort in the Kursk region.

South Korea has repeatedly said that it would accept any captured North Korean soldiers who express a desire to come to the South, asserting that they are constitutionally considered South Korean citizens. During a phone call with Sybiha in March 2025, then-Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul requested Ukraine’s cooperation in handling the prisoners and reaffirmed Seoul’s willingness to accept them if they wished to relocate.

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The fate of the two soldiers has drawn international attention because of concerns that they could face severe punishment if repatriated to North Korea. One of the soldiers has previously been reported as expressing interest in defecting, though public accounts of the soldiers’ preferences have varied.

Separately, the senior official said Seoul expects negotiations with Washington on uranium enrichment, spent fuel reprocessing and nuclear-powered submarines to make progress this year.

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READ: N. Korea may have earned $14.4B from Russia-Ukraine war involvement

The official said follow-up talks would soon take place in the United States after the first round of discussions was held in Seoul earlier this month.

“The two leaders have already agreed to conclude the consultations as quickly as possible, and we expect all of these issues to be settled within the year,” the official said.

South Korea and the US held talks in Seoul on June 2 and 3 to discuss follow-up measures related to agreements reached by President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump in October 2025, including cooperation on civilian uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing for peaceful purposes, as well as approval procedures related to South Korea’s pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines.

The official said several options remain under consideration, including revising the bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement, adopting supplementary arrangements or utilizing existing provisions within the framework.

On North Korea policy, the official dismissed suggestions of a major gap between Seoul and Washington following Lee’s recent remarks at the Group of Seven summit advocating a phased approach to denuclearization.

“We have continued practical consultations and coordination with the United States, so there are no fundamental differences in position,” the official said.

The official added that sanctions relief is not currently under consideration and that any future negotiations would aim to achieve “a halt, reduction and ultimately complete denuclearization” through a phased process.

The official also rejected suggestions that China has tacitly accepted North Korea’s nuclear status following the omission of denuclearization language during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

“I do not believe China has accepted North Korea as a nuclear state,” the official said. “It is avoiding the issue.”

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He warned that deeper bloc formation among North Korea, China and Russia would not be in South Korea’s interest and said Seoul is pursuing diplomatic efforts to prevent such activity. /dl