2 North Korean War Prisoners Defect Hoping to Start New Life in South Korea

Military parade of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) or North Korea (North Korea) in Pyongyang. (Unsplash-Micha Brandli-news.un.org)

JAKARTA - A total of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) held by Ukraine said they hoped to start a new life in South Korea (South Korea).

Previous reports showed that the two men, who have been held by Kyiv, Ukraine, since January 2025 after being wounded on the battlefield, were attempting to defect to South Korea.

"Thanks to the support of the South Korean people, new dreams and aspirations are beginning to take root," the two soldiers wrote in a letter dated late October to a Seoul-based human rights group that shared it with AFP this week, Wednesday, December 24.

According to South Korean and Western intelligence agencies, North Korea has sent thousands of troops to support Russia's nearly four-year-old invasion of Ukraine.

Based on South Korea's estimates, at least 600 people were killed and thousands more were injured.

Analysts say North Korea receives financial assistance, military technology, as well as food and energy supplies from Russia in return.

According to the South Korean intelligence service, North Korean soldiers were ordered to commit suicide rather than be captured.