Two North Korean soldiers who expressed their desire to defect to South Korea have reportedly been included multiple times on Russia’s list of prisoners slated for repatriation.
Rep. Yoo Yong-won of the People Power Party held a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul on Tuesday, revealing that he uncovered this information during his visit to Ukraine from February 24 to 26. He noted that North Korea and Russia conducted approximately 20 large-scale prisoner exchanges last year.
Rep. Yoo emphasized that for those seeking freedom and looking to South Korea, forced repatriation is essentially a death sentence. There’s a risk of forced repatriation under the Geneva Conventions during peace talks/ He urged the dispatch of a presidential envoy to secure a political agreement between the two nations.
The North Korean soldiers in question are the two individuals who expressed their intention to defect to South Korea during a meeting with Rep. Yoo, which was made public last February.
Under Article 3 of the South Korean Constitution, the country’s territory encompasses the entire Korean Peninsula and its adjacent islands, effectively considering North Korean residents as South Korean citizens. While the North Korean Refugees Protection and Settlement Support Act stipulates that North Koreans who have crossed the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) are entitled to South Korean protection, relevant government agencies have been slow to act on this matter.
Rep. Yoo also disclosed intelligence obtained from Ukrainian military authorities, indicating that North Korea has deployed four special forces brigades (over 10,000 troops) to the Kursk region. Furthermore, Pyongyang is reportedly preparing to send an additional 30,000 troops to the area.
According to Rep. Yoo, North Korea has supplied Russia with approximately 7.1 million artillery shells and 148 KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles. Notably, North Korean 107mm and 240mm rocket launchers are believed to have already seen combat use. The military aid from North Korea reportedly includes 166 units of 107mm rocket launchers, 94 units of 122mm artillery pieces, 96 units of 140mm mortars, 120 units of 170mm self-propelled guns, and 120 units of 240mm rocket launchers.
Rep. Yoo stated that the North Korean military is using the Ukrainian battlefield as a live-fire training ground, honing their tactics and weapons proficiency. He stressed the importance of South Korea sending its own military analysis team to study the conflict, given that North Korean forces are rapidly gaining modern warfare experience.