Yoo Yong-won of the People Power Party speaks at the National Assembly Communication Center in Seoul on March 3 about the results of his visit to Ukraine related to the Russia-Ukraine war. Photo by Yonhap News Agency
March 3 (Asia Today) — Yoo Yong-won of the conservative People Power Party said Monday that North Korean prisoners of war in Ukraine who have expressed a desire to defect to South Korea were repeatedly included on Russia’s repatriation lists during recent prisoner exchanges.
Yoo, a member of the National Assembly’s Defense Committee, made the remarks at a press conference after visiting Ukraine from Feb. 24 to 26. It marked his second trip to the country after meeting North Korean POWs there last year.
“I have confirmed through Ukrainian officials that North Korean POWs who clearly expressed their intent to defect to the Republic of Korea were included multiple times on repatriation lists drafted by the Russian side,” Yoo said.
Ukraine and Russia conducted about 20 large-scale prisoner swaps last year. The most recent exchange took place Feb. 5, when each side released 157 prisoners.
During his visit, Yoo met with Nelli Yakovlieva, chair of the Ukrainian parliament’s subcommittee on human rights and anti-discrimination, to discuss the transfer to South Korea of two North Korean POWs he previously met.
He said he conveyed that POWs who wish to resettle in South Korea “must never be forcibly repatriated to North Korea,” calling such a move effectively a death sentence. Yoo said Ukrainian officials responded positively to requests for humanitarian cooperation.
However, he warned that without a more proactive stance from Seoul, North Korean prisoners could be included in future exchange deals and transferred against their will.
“This issue can no longer be resolved through parliamentary exchanges or working-level consultations alone,” Yoo said. “It ultimately requires political decision-making and coordination between the leaders of both countries.”
He urged President Lee Jae-myung to dispatch a special envoy to secure an agreement at the leadership level, citing risks of forced repatriation under the Geneva Conventions framework during potential ceasefire negotiations.
Yoo also shared assessments of North Korea’s military involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war. He said more than 10,000 personnel from four North Korean special forces brigades are currently deployed in Russia’s Kursk region, and Ukrainian authorities are reviewing intelligence that Pyongyang may be preparing to send an additional 30,000 troops.
North Korea is estimated to have supplied Russia with about 7.1 million artillery shells and 148 KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles, he said, along with multiple rocket launchers, self-propelled guns and mortars.
Yoo urged Defense Minister Ahn Kyu-baek to dispatch a battlefield analysis team to Ukraine, arguing that North Korean forces are using the war as a live training ground to refine tactics and weapons operations.
“The North Korean military is rapidly absorbing modern warfare capabilities,” Yoo said. “Analyzing the enemy’s evolving capabilities is a fundamental responsibility for our national security.”
He also cited Ukraine’s large-scale drone production, including a 15-kilogram payload model known as the “Vampire,” reportedly produced at 6,000 units per month, and an FPV drone model manufactured at up to 120,000 units monthly.
“Modern warfare is determined not by troop numbers alone but by advanced technology and production speed,” Yoo said, urging South Korea to develop practical production systems and operational concepts rather than relying on slogans.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260303010000488
