Kyiv/Seoul, December 24: Two North Korean prisoners of war held by Ukraine have expressed their desire to start a new life in South Korea, according to a letter seen by AFP, marking the first time the soldiers have publicly stated their intentions in their own words.
The letter, dated late October and sent to a Seoul-based human rights group, said the two men had found hope and new aspirations through support from people in South Korea.
“Thanks to the support of the South Korean people, new dreams and aspirations have begun to take root,” the soldiers wrote, according to the letter shared with AFP this week.
Previous reports had indicated that the two men were seeking to defect to the South, but the letter represents their first direct confirmation.
The soldiers were captured by Ukrainian forces in January after sustaining injuries during fighting. Their names have been withheld to protect their safety.
In the letter, the men thanked those working on their behalf for encouraging them and for viewing their situation “not as a tragedy but as the beginning of a new life.”
“We firmly believe that we are never alone, and we think of those in South Korea as our own parents and siblings and have decided to go into their embrace,” they wrote.
North Korea has sent thousands of troops to support Russia’s nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine, according to South Korean and Western intelligence agencies. Pyongyang has not publicly acknowledged the deployment.
South Korea’s government has long maintained that North Koreans who defect are entitled to citizenship under its constitution, though the process can be complex when individuals are held abroad. Ukrainian authorities have not publicly commented on the soldiers’ future or on any potential arrangements for their transfer.
