South Korea begins processing North Korean POWs transferred from Ukraine

The South Korean government has begun formal processing for two North Korean prisoners of war (POW) who arrived in the country from Ukraine in a previously undisclosed transfer.

Authorities regard the two as North Korean defectors.

Intelligence authorities have placed the two North Koreans under temporary protection and questioned them at an undisclosed location, according to multiple sources on Monday.

The two are believed to be staying at the North Korean Refugee Protection Center in Siheung, Gyeonggi. The facility has residential quarters and interrogation rooms, along with a library, music room and clinic staffed by about 10 medical personnel.

The enforcement decree of the North Korean Refugees Protection and Settlement Support Act allows the National Intelligence Service (NIS) to place the North Korean pair under temporary protection for up to 90 days while it investigates them. The period can be extended once for up to 30 days if unavoidable circumstances arise.

“The North Korean prisoners are generally believed to be in good health,” a source said. “They suffered fractures and other injuries when they were captured on the front line, so they are also receiving the medical care they need.”

Intelligence authorities are expected to question the two about North Korea’s deployment of troops to the Russia-Ukraine war, as well as about the command structure of the units sent there and their tactical roles.

Once the NIS completes its investigation, a decision will be made on whether the two qualify for formal protection and how their cases will be handled afterward. The NIS is likely to keep them under its sole protection if its director determines that they could significantly impact national security.

“Given the potentially significant repercussions for inter-Korean relations and diplomacy, authorities are likely to grant them protection,” another source said.

Their military backgrounds could open another life path. Under laws protecting North Korean refugees and military personnel regulations, the two can choose to join the South Korean military, with their former ranks, positions and service records taken into account.

A precedent came in 1983, when North Korean Senior Lt. Lee Ung-pyong defected in a MiG-19 fighter jet. He was commissioned as a major in the South Korean Air Force and eventually promoted to colonel.

Pyongyang has remained silent on the transfer of the two soldiers to Seoul as of Monday.

The regime has portrayed its deployment of troops to Russia as one of its leader Kim Jong-un’s major achievements. It has promoted a narrative that North Korean troops helped Russia prevail in what it calls the “Kursk liberation operation.” It has even built a memorial hall in Pyongyang to honor troops who took part in overseas military operations.

The prisoners’ arrival in South Korea could pose a challenge to North Korea’s carefully crafted narrative of a successful military deployment. That has led to speculation that Pyongyang may focus on containing the fallout at home as it watches how the situation develops, rather than respond forcefully right away.

“The very existence of North Korean POWs exposes vulnerabilities in the troop deployment, so Pyongyang is more likely to focus on preventing domestic unrest than publicly dispute or challenge the issue,” said Oh Gyeong-Seob, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification.

 BY CHUNG YEONG-GYO [[email protected]]