KIEV (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that Kiev is ready to hand over North Korean soldiers to leader Kim Jong Un if he can organize an exchange for Ukrainians detained in Russia.
“In addition to the first captured North Korean soldiers, there will undoubtedly be more. It’s only a matter of time before our troops manage to capture others,” Zelensky said on the X social media platform.
Zelensky said Saturday that Ukraine had captured two North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk region, the first time Ukraine has announced the capture of live North Korean soldiers since its entry into the war last fall.
Ukrainian and Western assessments say that around 11,000 soldiers from North Korea, a country allied with Russia, went to the Kursk region to support Moscow’s forces. Russia has neither confirmed nor denied this presence.
Zelensky said Russian and North Korean forces suffered heavy losses.
“Ukraine is ready to hand over Kim Jong Un’s soldiers if he can organize an exchange for our warriors who are held captive in Russia,” Zelensky said.
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He added that for North Korean soldiers who do not wish to return, there may be other options available and “those who express a desire to bring peace closer by spreading the truth about this war in the Korean (language) will have that opportunity.”
Zelensky did not provide specific details.
