Zelenskiy claims he is prepared to trade Ukrainians detained in Russia for North Korean soldiers

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, stated on Sunday that if Kim Jong Un can arrange for the swap of captured North Korean troops for Ukrainians detained in Russia, Kyiv is prepared to turn over the soldiers to him.

“There will surely be more captured North Korean troops after the initial ones. Our forces will eventually be able to apprehend others,” Zelenskiy stated on the social networking site X.

The first time Ukraine has declared the arrest of North Korean soldiers alive since their participation into the almost three-year-old conflict last fall, Zelenskiy claimed on Saturday that Ukraine has captured two North Koreans in the Kursk area of Russia.

According to estimates from Ukraine and the West, some 11,000 troops from North Korea, Russia’s ally, have been sent to the Kursk area to assist Moscow’s forces. Their existence has not been verified or disputed by Russia.

According to Zelenskiy, North Korean and Russian forces had sustained significant casualties.

“Ukraine is ready to hand over Kim Jong Un’s soldiers to him if he can organize their exchange for our warriors who are being held captive in Russia,” Zelenskiy stated.

He shared a brief video of two individuals posing as North Korean troops being questioned. One of them was depicted seated with a bandage on his jaw, while the other was portrayed lying on a bed with wrapped hands.

Through an interpreter, one of the guys said he was on a training exercise and was unaware that he was fighting against Ukraine.

He said that he was discovered a few days after hiding in a shelter during the attack. He stated that he was prepared to remain in Ukraine if given the opportunity, but that he would return to North Korea if commanded to do so.

Reuters was unable to confirm the footage.

According to a statement shown on television, “One of them (soldiers) expressed a desire to stay in Ukraine, the other to return to Korea,” Zelenskiy stated.

According to Zelenskiy, “those who express a desire to bring peace closer by spreading the truth about this war in the Korean (language) will be given that opportunity.” Those North Korean troops who did not want to go home could have alternative possibilities.

There were no specifics given by Zelenskiy.

A South Korean lawmaker briefed by the nation’s spy agency said Monday that the growing number of North Korean military casualties is due to “the way Russia used the North Korean military” and a lack of knowledge of modern warfare. Approximately 300 North Korean troops who were deployed to Russia have been killed and 2,700 more have been injured in combat against Ukrainian forces.

According to Lee Seong-kweun, a legislator on the South Korean parliament’s intelligence committee, North Korean leadership seem to have ordered their forces to blow themselves up in order to avoid being captured, citing the National Intelligence Service (NIS).

“It was also found in the memos carried by those killed those North Korean authorities emphasized self-destruction and suicide before capture, and that soldiers vaguely expect to join the Workers’ Party (of North Korea) or be pardoned,” Lee stated.

According to Yonhap news agency, which cited NIS, captured North Korean troops had not indicated that they intended to visit South Korea, but South Korea would assist Ukraine upon request.