Zelenskyy Confirms Capture of Two North Korean Soldiers
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- Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced in January 2025 that Ukraine had captured two North Korean soldiers.
- Kim Jong Un had allegedly deployed roughly 15,000 special‑forces troops to aid Russia’s invasion, trading them for billions in military tech and cash for Pyongyang’s nuclear program.
- Human‑rights groups warned that publishing the POWs’ photos and allowing media access breaches the Geneva Convention and endangers the soldiers and their families in North Korea.
- 101 East is probing whether the captured North Korean soldiers are being used as political pawns and is tracking efforts to move them to South Korea.
- BBC World noted the controversy of the North Korean involvement and suggested it could inspire the next Call of Duty game.
Why it matters: Ukraine’s capture of two North Korean soldiers gives the West concrete proof of Pyongyang’s covert support for Russia, bolstering sanctions and giving South Korea a diplomatic bargaining chip, while endangering the POWs and their families.
