"1000 for 1000" exchange: DPRK prisoners of war were not on lists
North Korean soldiers held captive in Ukraine did not take part in the recent large-scale exchange of prisoners of war in the "1000 for 1000" format between Kyiv and Moscow.
This is reported by Yonhap, Censor.NET reports.
Two soldiers surnamed Ri and Baek, respectively, were not included in the list of soldiers exchanged between Ukraine and Russia from Friday to Sunday, said South Korean parliamentarian Yoo Yong-won.
According to him, they were not included in the latest exchange at Seoul's request to Kyiv.
It is noted that South Korea is ready to accept them if they want to go over to its side. One of the prisoners, Ri, expressed a desire to move to South Korea.
According to the publication, the MP met with both soldiers during his visit to Ukraine in February.
According to him, Ri is afraid of repatriation to North Korea because of the threat of punishment for himself and his family.
What was the background?
As a reminder, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is ready to hand over its soldiers to DPRK dictator Kim Jong-un if he can organize an exchange for our soldiers who are being held captive in Russia.
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Defense Forces had captured two DPRK soldiers. They are already communicating with the SSU.
Later, the SSU reported that they were conducting investigative actions with the DPRK prisoners.
It was also reported that operators of the Tactical Group No. 84 of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine captured a North Korean soldier during special operations in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation.
