How North Korean POWs caught Seoul in a Ukraine arms ‘ conundrum’

AI Summary

North Korean prisoners of war captured in Ukraine, who want to move to South Korea, create strategic leverage for Kyiv in pressuring Seoul to sell arms for the conflict against Russia. Their status under South Korean law defines them as nationals, complicating diplomatic and military considerations.

Ukraine’s unresolved decision regarding two North Korean prisoners of war who have said they want to go to South Korea has given Kyiv leverage as it presses Seoul to sell weapons for its war against Russia, observers say. The soldiers, captured in early 2025 after being deployed to Kursk to support Russia’s war effort, are considered South Korean nationals under Seoul’s constitution, which defines the entire Korean peninsula as the country’s territory. Seoul has said it would be willing to...