The disclosure – made during Zelensky’s address to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday – directly challenges Pyongyang’s narrative that its soldiers fighting alongside Russian forces choose death over surrendering.
North Korea is unlikely to acknowledge the transfer publicly, but may strengthen ideological controls over its troops deployed to Russia to prevent further defections, observers say.
“Recently, we sent two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea,” Zelensky said during his UN address, using South Korea’s official name.