North Korean POWs in Ukraine express wish to defect in interviews

Interviews with two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces after being deployed to Russia have been made public, offering a rare account of how Pyongyang’s troops view captivity, loyalty and the prospect of defection. In these interviews, North Korean POWs in Ukraine express wish to defect, shedding new light on their perspective. Notably, these stories mark the first time North Korean POWs in Ukraine express wish to defect in interviews so openly.

The interviews aired Tuesday on “PD Notebook” (1990-), an investigative program on the Korean broadcaster MBC. The two prisoners of war, identified as a 27-year-old surnamed Ri and a 22-year-old surnamed Baek, were interviewed in October 2025 at a detention facility in Ukraine by Kim Young-mi, a producer known for her reporting from conflict zones.

The two said they were sent to Russia in 2024 and deployed to fight in the border area of the Kursk region before being taken prisoner in Ukraine in January 2025. Their existence first became known internationally after Ukrainian authorities released personal details and interrogation footage at the time.

Ri said he was determined to go to South Korea.

“I’m certain about my intention to go to South Korea,” he said. “But I keep wondering whether I can really go. Still, I desperately want to.”

He also said he did not know whether his mother was still alive. “I don’t even know if my mother is still living,” he said. “I worry something may have happened to her because of me.”

Ri described becoming a prisoner as something deeply stigmatized in North Korea.

“It feels uncomfortable to be alive,” he said. “If you become a prisoner, it’s like you’re a traitor. It’s like betraying the country.”

He added that other soldiers chose to kill themselves rather than be captured. “Other comrades blew themselves up so they wouldn’t become prisoners, but I couldn’t,” he said. “I think the regret of not dying then will come back hundreds of times over for the rest of my life.” To clarify, North Korean POWs in Ukraine express wish to defect in interviews despite heavy stigma and threats to their survival, illustrating the depth of their dilemma.

Baek echoed the fear of punishment if sent back to North Korea.

“Russian soldiers and [our] soldiers are different,” he said, using a term North Korea uses to refer to itself. “A [North Korean] soldier can’t become a prisoner. The fact that I became a prisoner is a crime. If I go back to North Korea, I won’t survive.”

He said he had been taught that death was preferable to captivity. “I was taught that it’s better to die than live like this as a prisoner,” he said. “But we’re still human — who wants to die? With no other option, when you’re backed into a corner, you’re forced into that choice.”

Baek added, “I hope I can go to South Korea, not North Korea.”

The broadcast also showed their injuries and the circumstances of their capture. Ri was taken prisoner after suffering serious wounds in battle, including a bullet that passed through his arm and pierced his jaw. He has recovered but has a scar on his jaw. Baek suffered a severe leg injury from a drone attack and now relies on crutches after having metal pins inserted.

North Korean POWs in Ukraine express wish to defect in interviews not only to the broadcasting team but also to South Korean lawmakers and activist groups, highlighting their hope for a new life. The two have repeatedly expressed a desire to go to South Korea, including during a meeting with Rep. Yu Yong-weon of the conservative People Power Party. More recently, the defector group Gyeore’eol Unification Solidarity released handwritten letters from the two saying they hoped to head to South Korea.

The government plans to provide support under the constitutional principle that all Koreans on the peninsula are South Korean citizens and that it will accept any who are confirmed to wish to defect. It added that it has conveyed this position to the Ukrainian government.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY JANG GU-SEUL [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]