KCNA
“Everyone killed themselves, I failed.” Pyongyang soldiers were captured a year ago and their fate remains open. The instruction they receive is to take their own lives to avoid surrender, under penalty of punishment against their families.
It has been more than a year since Ukrainian military forces captured two North Korean soldiers in Kursk, Russia. They became prisoners of war, having been offered their freedom by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in exchange for Ukrainians detained by the Russians. But the fate of the two men, who asked to be sent to South Korea, remains open.
In North Korea, they can be punished for being captured alive, after being sent by the regime to support Russian forces in the war against Ukraine.
“I won’t survive (if I come back). Everyone else blew themselves up”one of the soldiers told South Korean newspaper Hankook Ilbo. “I failed.”
The United Nations (UN) spoke out. A special rapporteur on North Korea’s human rights record has urged Ukraine to comply with international protocol and not send prisoners of war to a place where they face a risk of torture.
“I would be grateful if they accepted me. If they don’t, there’s nothing I can do,” said one of the soldiers, according to the newspaper.
According to activists and defectors, the North Korean military doctrine prohibits surrender by the soldiers. The order is that, faced with inevitable capture, the soldiers take their own lives.
“We do not know how the regime will respond to soldiers who did not follow the order to kill themselves rather than be captured, because this never happened before,” Kim Eujin, who fled North Korea as a teenager in the 1990s, told DW. “But my guess is that they will be considered traitors. And it won’t be just them. Their families will also be punished.”
Retaliation over multiple generations
In interviews, the captured soldiers said they were not afraid of the fighting in Ukraine, but rather of the effects of capture on their families. They report having heard incessantly that “a deserter brings punishment for three generations.”
“Historically, during and after the Korean War, returning POWs were allegedly subjected to forced labor and classified as hostile elements,” says Peter Oh of the Free Korean Association, which helps North Korean refugees in the United States. “These detainees likely fear similar consequences if they return.”
For Oh, repercussions for families are possible. Or, the North Korean government could avoid extreme measures to prevent international scrutiny.
According to Article 3 of the South Korean Constitution, North Koreans continue to be considered South Korean citizens and are permitted to live in South Korea. However, the government in Seoul appears unwilling to accept prisoners of war in Ukraine.
“The delay is due to complex international legal and diplomatic obstacles involving Ukraine, Russia, North Korea and South Korea,” Oh said, citing sensitive geopolitical implications. “Although the South Korean government has expressed general interest, it has not taken direct action.”
Stalled conversations
Discussions between Seoul and Kiev over the fate of the soldiers appear to have stalled. On February 9, the Korean Institute for National Unification stated that “direct communication between the leaders of South Korea and Ukraine is essential” to unblock the impasse. Without a deal, Ukraine could be forced to hand over prisoners to Russia.
“President Lee, the Ministry of Unification, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs seem to care more about not angering Kim Jong-un than about bringing these men to South Korea,” Kim continued. “If it was just for their human rights, then they would have gotten here by now. It’s almost like the government here is trying to find reasons for them not to come.”
North Korea has not yet publicly commented on the situation of the two prisoners of war in Ukraine, although it is possible that behind-the-scenes talks have taken place.
