Two North Korean soldiers captured in Ukraine have officially expressed their desire to defect to South Korea, stating they want to start new lives there.
According to AFP and France24 on Saturday, the two prisoners of war sent handwritten letters to a human rights organization based in Seoul, writing that "new dreams and aspirations have begun to sprout thanks to the support of people in South Korea" and expressing their hope to go to South Korea. The letters were recently delivered to AFP.
"We have decided to think of the people in South Korea as our own parents and siblings and to go into their embrace," the prisoners wrote. "If we are able to go to South Korea, we would like to visit you in person and express our gratitude." The letters concluded with both signatures and the phrase, "Until the day we meet in South Korea, please take care."
The two men are North Korean soldiers who were captured by Ukrainian forces during combat on the Kursk front in western Russia in January. Their existence first became known to the international community when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky personally announced their capture at the time.
According to Jang Se-yul, head of the defector organization Gyeoreul Unification Coalition, the letters were written after documentary producer Kim Young-mi, who specializes in conflict zones, met with them in Ukraine in October last year. Defectors living in South Korea had first sent letters of encouragement, and the two prisoners wrote their handwritten responses in reply, Jang explained.
When People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Yong-won visited Ukraine in March, only one of the two had expressed a desire to defect, making this the first time both prisoners have voluntarily expressed their intention to defect in writing, AFP reported.
The South Korean government has stated its position to accept North Korean POWs who express a desire to defect, but the Ukrainian government maintains a cautious stance as the Geneva Conventions stipulate that prisoners of war should be repatriated to their home country after the end of hostilities. However, observers note that if these handwritten letters are recognized as documents containing the prisoners' direct intentions, discussions on their travel to South Korea could advance.
