South Korea, Ukraine discuss transfer of captured North Korean soldiers

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Tuesday discussed the potential transfer to South Korea of North Korean soldiers captured while fighting in Ukraine.

The talks in Seoul came during the first visit by a Ukrainian foreign minister to South Korea since 2015.

Cho said on US social media platform X that the two sides agreed to seek a solution to the issue of North Korean prisoners of war in line with international law and humanitarian principles, while respecting the wishes of the individuals concerned.

South Korea said earlier this month that it would accept North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) captured in Ukraine if they wished to relocate to the South.

"It remains the case that the North Korean POWs in Ukraine want to come to South Korea," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Park Il said at a briefing, according to The Korea Times. "If their transfer to the South is decided, the process will proceed in accordance with relevant domestic laws and procedures."

Sybiha said on social media that the two ministers discussed the POW issue in detail and "know how to proceed with respect to international humanitarian law."

"We spoke about shared challenges stemming from the deepening cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang," he added.

Cho also expressed "high regard" for the resilience of the Ukrainian people and said Seoul would continue to support Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction.

Sybiha said the talks reaffirmed growing cooperation between Ukraine and South Korea, including political dialogue, economic ties, business involvement in Ukraine's reconstruction and security cooperation.

Bilateral trade between the two countries stood at nearly $1 billion in 2024.

"We agreed that the development of our cooperation will strengthen security, stability and international law across both Europe and the Indo-Pacific," Sybiha said.

Sybiha also visited the Demilitarized Zone, the military-controlled buffer zone along the border with North Korea.

"Due to the dangerous actions of Pyongyang and Moscow, this historic line is now physically linked to our own front lines in Ukraine," he said.

In August 2025, North Korea sent 1,000 military engineers to Russia's Kursk region to assist Russian forces in clearing landmines, according to South Korea's spy agency.

That followed an earlier deployment of an estimated 15,000 combat troops to support Russia's war effort, the agency said, claiming North Korea has lost 2,000 troops in the conflict.