Russians request exchange of two North Korean POWs twice – Coordination Headquarters

This was stated in an interview with Ukrinform by Bohdan Okhrimenko, head of the Secretariat of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

“Sometimes we have to persuade them to take back their citizens. This also applies to foreigners who fought for Russia. We already have quite a few of them in captivity. The Russians aren’t interested in them during the negotiation process. There hasn’t been a single request from the Russian side, except for the North Koreans. They’ve asked several times if we’re ready to hand over the North Koreans specifically,” he said.

When asked whether the two North Koreans would be transferred to South Korea, where they had requested to go, Okhrimenko replied that this is a sensitive issue because, under international humanitarian law, responsibility for prisoners of war lies with the country that involved them in the armed conflict—that is, Russia.

“If diplomats and lawyers find a mechanism that can meet these requirements, then we are ready to consider relevant proposals. Ukraine ratified the Third and Fourth Geneva Conventions, and we must adhere to them because Russia, even though it does not comply with them itself, could falsely accuse us of violating international humanitarian law and setting a precedent in this matter.”

“And, referring to the Geneva Convention (III), there is the principle of non-refoulement. If a prisoner of war does not wish to return, and there is no other mechanism available, then we will hold them for as long as necessary to resolve this issue,” noted the head of the Coordination Headquarters Secretariat.

As reported by Ukrinform, on January 11, it became known that Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk region had captured two soldiers from North Korea.

One of them later said that commanders forbid North Korean soldiers from surrendering. He also noted that he had no intention of returning home and would like to move to South Korea to study at a university.

Subsequently, the two North Koreans requested to be transferred to South Korea.