‘I won’t survive’: North Korean soldier caught by Ukraine dreads going home

“I would be grateful if they take me. If they don’t, there’s nothing I can do.”

“Everyone else blew themselves up. I failed,” the prisoner said. The two captured soldiers – severely wounded and lamenting that they should have died as well – are just in their 20s. Nevertheless, both expressed an explicit desire to be sent to South Korea, and not repatriated to the North.

International law is clear on this matter. The Geneva Convention requires prisoners of war to be repatriated after hostilities end. However, if there is a credible risk of torture or persecution, repatriation against a prisoner’s will is prohibited.

Seoul’s stance is also clear. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly emphasised that North Korean prisoners are considered South Korean nationals under constitutional interpretation, and that if they seek asylum in the South, the government will accept them and provide protection and help.