Zelensky offers Pyongyang to exchange captured North Korean soldiers for Ukrainians held by Russia

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyoffered this Sunday to return Pyongyang to the two North Korean soldiers captured in the Russian region of Kursk in exchange for Ukrainians held by Russia as prisoners of war.

“Ukraine is ready to send Kim Jong-un to soldiers if he can organize their exchange for our warriors who are kept prisoners in Russia“Zelensky said in a message posted in English, Ukrainian and Korean on his official X account.

“Along with the first captured North Korean soldiers, there will undoubtedly be more. It is only a matter of time before our troops manage to capture more“said the Ukrainian leader, who added that “there should no longer be doubts” about Moscow’s dependence on North Korean military assistance for its invasion of Ukraine.

Likewise, Zelensky noted that “there may be other options available” for captured North Korean soldiers who do not wish to return to their country of origin and who express a desire to “bring peace closer by spreading the truth about this war”.

In addition to this message, the president published a video in which the two captured North Korean soldiers appear and apparently injured being interrogated through an interpreter.

One of them, who appears lying on a bunk with bandages on both handsshakes his head when asked if he knows where he is at the moment and if he was aware that he was fighting against Ukraine.

When asked what his superiors had told him about the operation in which he was participating, he stated that he was informed about “combat training”.

The soldier also explains that He was sent to the front on January 3 and was wounded and captured two days later while hiding in a shelter. He also says he wants to stay in Ukraine when asked if he would like to return to his country.

The other soldier, with a bandage on his jawresponds affirmatively when asked if he wants to return to North Korea, although he indicates that His family has no knowledge of his current whereabouts..

Según un comunicado del Servicio de Seguridad de Ucrania (SBU) los soldados fueron capturados el pasado 9 de enero y uno de ellos portaba un documento de identidad militar ruso emitido a nombre de otra persona, mientras que el otro estaba indocumentado.

Esta semana Zelenski cifró en 4.000 las bajas norcoreanas en la región rusa de Kursk, donde según los servicios de seguridad de Kiev se han desplegado 11.000 efectivos norcoreanos para apoyar a las tropas rusas.