Ukraine hands two captured North Korean soldiers over to South Korea

Ukraine has transferred two North Korean soldiers, captured while fighting alongside Russian forces, to South Korea.

This was announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, September 23, speaking at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Zelensky said that capturing both servicemen had been extremely difficult, as they had attempted to take their own lives rather than surrender. The Ukrainian president accused North Korean leader Kim Jong Un of using his soldiers as a kind of “currency” in exchange for access to Russian military technology.

Ukrainian forces captured the two North Korean servicemen in Russia’s Kursk region in early 2025, after they had been deployed to support Russian troops fighting Ukrainian forces that had entered the region. In February 2026, Human Rights Watch reported that both soldiers had expressed a wish to go to South Korea rather than return home, where they would face persecution.

The transfer was the result of months of diplomatic negotiations between Kyiv and Seoul. In June 2026, the foreign ministers of the two countries discussed a possible transfer and agreed to seek a solution in accordance with international law and humanitarian principles, taking into account the soldiers’ own wishes. In July, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and Zelensky agreed to resolve the matter on humanitarian grounds.

On Tuesday, September 22, Lee held a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the General Assembly, during which the leaders discussed issues related to North Korea as well as a number of other bilateral topics.

In his address to the General Assembly, Zelensky drew attention to the growing internationalization of Russia’s war. He accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of using fighters from 47 countries, naming among those fighting on Moscow’s side citizens of Ghana, Nepal, Tajikistan, India, Yemen, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Cuba, and Belarus. According to AFP, Zelensky presented the participation of combatants from third countries as evidence that Russia’s war is becoming a global threat.

The presence of North Korean troops in Russia is causing increasing concern. According to Reuters, in August Zelensky warned that up to 50,000 North Korean soldiers could be deployed on Russia’s side. In his General Assembly address, the Ukrainian president also stated that from January through August 2026, Russia had lost 248,964 servicemen on the battlefields of Ukraine.