Protect North Korean POWs and uncover truth about Russia deployment

Two North Korean soldiers captured on the Ukrainian front have been transferred to South Korea, 20 months after they were taken prisoner while fighting in Russia’s Kursk region. The two had expressed a desire to come to South Korea, and the South Korean government, after consultations with relevant countries, arranged their transfer in a way that respected their free will. Guaranteeing the safety and freedom of men who survived the horrors of war is a state obligation and humanitarian imperative.

The government must first verify the information they possess. The two are firsthand witnesses to North Korea’s deployment of troops to Russia and their participation in combat. Authorities should establish how the deployment was organized, the command structure, battlefield conditions, the North Korean forces’ weapons and equipment and the scale of casualties.

That information could help clarify the size and nature of Pyongyang’s deployment and the role its troops played on the battlefield. If violations of international law or human rights abuses by North Korea are confirmed, they should be brought before the international community and accountability pursued.

The soldiers’ arrival provides concrete evidence of North Korea’s military involvement in Russia’s war. Seoul must prepare for the possibility that Pyongyang will call their transfer an “abduction” or a South Korean operation, intensify criticism of Seoul or raise military tensions. The military and security authorities must maintain readiness for any contingency.

Ukraine’s decision is particularly meaningful given reports that Russia had offered to exchange thousands of Ukrainians in its custody for the two North Korean prisoners. Kyiv instead respected the soldiers’ wishes and allowed them to go to South Korea. Diplomatic authorities should coordinate closely with relevant countries so that security concerns surrounding the transfer do not create unnecessary diplomatic friction. Politicians should also resist turning the case into another partisan dispute.

What matters now is substantive follow-up. Protecting the two soldiers must be the highest priority, with thorough precautions against any North Korean attempt to harm them. They are young men who have suffered psychological and physical wounds from war, and the government should establish support systems, including medical care and psychological treatment, to help them settle into South Korean society.

The government must also accurately assess the information they can provide while managing security risks with restraint. Their testimony could shed important light on North Korea’s military cooperation with Russia, but their value as intelligence sources must never eclipse their rights as individuals.

Seoul should fulfill its responsibilities under humanitarian principles, ensure their safety and give them the support needed to begin new lives.