This was reported by the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, Lee Jae Wung, writes Yonhap.
He explained that South Korea considers all residents of the Korean Peninsula as its citizens. This means that prisoners can request to be transferred to South Korea, which is obligated to accept them.
Previously, South Korean intelligence, after speaking with two North Korean soldiers who had been captured by Ukrainians in the Kursk region, stated that they worked in the main military intelligence agency of North Korea. Additionally, according to intelligence reports, during the interrogation, one of the captured North Korean soldiers confirmed "significant" losses among North Korean military personnel in Russia.
On January 11, it became known that Ukrainian fighters captured the first two soldiers from North Korea in the Kursk region of Russia. They were injured but survived. They were taken to Kyiv, where they are being questioned by SBU investigators.
The prisoners do not speak Ukrainian, English, or Russian, so communication with them is conducted through translators from Korean in cooperation with South Korean intelligence. Both stated that they were going for training, not to fight against Ukraine.
After that, Ukraine announced that it is willing to return North Korea's soldiers if it helps organize an exchange for Ukrainian fighters held by Russia.
At the same time, one of the captured North Korean soldiers expressed a desire to want to stay in Ukraine, while the other wished to return to North Korea.