"We strongly denounce the actions of the [North Korean] regime and urge the immediate stop of any additional troop deployments," said the ministry's spokesperson Jeon Ha-kyu, when asked about a recent interview with two North Korean prisoners of war by a South Korean daily, which was released the previous day.
One of the soldiers, captured by Ukrainian forces and identified only by his surname Ri, told Chosun Ilbo that he was a member of North Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau.
He recounted that he left his country in October last year and underwent about three months of training in Vladivostok before being deployed to the battlefield in Kursk, a region near Ukraine's eastern front. He added that he was told he had fought against South Korean troops.
Ri also revealed that each battalion of about 500 North Korean soldiers had one or two intelligence officers assigned to monitor their "ideological soundness."
The young soldier in his 20s, said he wanted to seek asylum in South Korea. Regarding this, the Foreign Ministry here said the previous day that the country is willing to help if these North Korean soldiers wish to come to the South.
However, it remains to be seen as it would need to go through a review under the Geneva Conventions, which stipulate rules for how prisoners of war (POWs) should be treated.
North Korea is believed to have sent over 10,000 soldiers to Russia, though neither Pyongyang nor Moscow have confirmed or denied their presence.
reporter
Kim Joo-heon
jhkim123@ajunews.com
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