Updated March 5, 2025, 12:30 a.m. ET
TAIPEI, Taiwan – A North Korean soldier captured in Russia has once again expressed his determination to defect to South Korea, painting a vision of a life where he can finally have “family, a home, and basic rights.”
The soldier, identified as Ri, was among an estimated 12,000 North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia’s Kursk region to fight Ukrainian forces who occupied parts of the area in August. Neither Russia nor North Korea has acknowledged their presence.
“I really want to go to South Korea,” said Ri, during an interview released by South Korean lawmaker Yu Yong-weon, who recently visited Ukraine.
“If I go to Korea, will I be able to live the way I want, according to the rights I hope for? Having a home and a family,” Ri asked Yu.
“I’m from North Korea and also a prisoner. Would that make it too difficult for me to have a family?”
Yu said that Ri had sustained a gunshot wound to the jaw so severe that it impaired his ability to speak clearly. He added that Ri asked whether he could undergo another operation on his jaw upon arriving in the South.
Another North Korean soldier, identified as Baek who was captured alongside Ri, told Yu that he was still deciding whether he wanted to defect to the South.
“Just in case I cannot return home … I feel like I can decide soon … I will keep thinking about it,” said Baek.
When asked whether North Korean soldiers would choose to commit suicide if about to be captured by Ukrainian forces, Baek said he witnessed it many times and thought about doing it to himself when he was wounded and collapsed.
White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said in December that the U.S. had reports of North Korean soldiers taking their own lives rather than surrendering to Ukrainian forces, likely out of fear of reprisal against their families in North Korea in the event that they were captured.
“There’s no official training in the military instructing us to do so, but soldiers believe that being captured by the enemy is a betrayal of the homeland, so they make that decision on their own,” Baek explained.
Yu said captured North Korean soldiers should not be forced to return to their homeland.
“I urge our diplomatic authorities to do everything in their power to prevent the tragic forced repatriation of North Korean soldiers captured as prisoners of war in Ukraine,” said Yu.
“Sending them back to North Korea would essentially be a death sentence. They are constitutionally recognized as citizens of South Korea so that must be protected.”
South Korea’s foreign ministry reaffirmed on Wednesday that it would accept Ri and Baek if they chose to defect to the South.
“We will provide the necessary protection and support in accordance with the fundamental principle and relevant laws that ensure the acceptance of all individuals requesting to go to South Korea,” said a ministry spokesperson, adding that it would work with the Ukrainian authorities.
Ukrainian Ambassador to South Korea Dmytro Ponomarenko said in an interview with Voice of America last week that Ukraine was open to discussions with South Korea regarding the repatriation of captured North Korean soldiers to the South.
Considering the potential risks to the lives and freedom of North Korean soldiers if they are sent back to their home country, Ponomarenko noted that Ukraine remained open to discussions with international partners, particularly South Korea, should the soldiers refuse to return to North Korea.
“All decisions regarding repatriation will be made in accordance with international law and respect for individual rights, through dialogue among the relevant parties,” he added.
“We share the principle that no individual should be forcibly repatriated to a place where they may face persecution.”
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Separately, Yu urged South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party, which holds a majority at the country’s National Assembly, to stop “ignoring” the issue of North Korean prisoners of war and devote more attention and effort to it.
There has been criticism that the party, which prioritizes inter-Korean relations and seeks to avoid conflict with Pyongyang, has remained relatively silent on the issue.
In response, the party said last week that it did not oppose the prisoner’s defection to the South but noted that it should be done “quietly.”
“Attempting to take credit or making a fuss could provoke a backlash from North Korea or Russia, making it difficult to achieve the goal … It is advisable to handle matters involving a third country quietly behind the scenes,” the party said.
Yu’s interview with North Korean soldiers came amid reports that the North was preparing to send more troops to Russia despite increasing casualties.
South Korea’s main spy agency confirmed last week that North Korea had deployed more troops to Russia amid casualties, with media reports estimating the number at more than 1,000.
Ukraine said earlier that about 4,000 North Korean troops in Russia had been killed or wounded, with its leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy estimating that an additional 20,000 to 25,000 North Korean soldiers could be sent to Russia.
Edited by Mike Firn.
Updated to include comments from South Korea’s Democratic Party.