A South Korean lawmaker reported that a captured North Korean soldier wishes to live a “normal life” in the South. The South Korean government plans to grant citizenship to these soldiers. Lawmaker Yu Yong-weon reflected on his meeting with the soldiers, who seek reunification with their families and live with rights in South Korea, highlighting legal protections for captured North Koreans under South Korea’s citizenship laws.
A South Korean lawmaker announced that a North Korean soldier captured by Ukrainian forces expressed his desire to live a “normal life” in South Korea. This statement follows South Korea’s commitment to grant citizenship to captured North Korean troops. In January, the National Intelligence Service indicated that Ukrainian forces had captured two North Korean soldiers among an estimated 10,000 North Koreans deployed by Kim Jong Un to assist Russia in its military conflict with Ukraine.
Lawmaker Yu Yong-weon shared his emotional experience after meeting the two North Korean soldiers held in an undisclosed Ukrainian detention facility. He stated that upon meeting them, he felt compassion and empathy. One soldier expressed a wish to relocate to South Korea to reunite with his parents and inquired if he could attain rights, have a home, and start a family there upon his arrival in the South.
Yu emphasized that according to South Korean law, all Koreans, including North Koreans, are recognized as citizens, which means that captured North Korean soldiers are entitled to protection if they come to South Korea. He articulated concern that repatriating these soldiers to North Korea would effectively be a death sentence, considering that they have been instructed to commit suicide rather than be captured, a claim supported by reports of observed suicides among injured comrades, as relayed by the soldiers.
Yu further affirmed the responsibility of South Korea to protect these individuals, noting that even as prisoners of war, North Korean soldiers retain their status as South Korean citizens. In 2019, South Korea expelled two North Korean men implicated in the murder of sixteen crew members after they fled North Korea, marking the first such repatriation since the Korean War. However, subsequent imagery revealed one of the men resisting the handover, highlighting the complexities of such situations.
In summary, the plight of North Korean soldiers captured by Ukraine presents significant humanitarian and legal challenges. The recognition of their citizenship by South Korea underlines the complexities involved in their potential repatriation and the moral imperatives for their protection. Lawmaker Yu Yong-weon’s emotional account emphasizes the urgency and importance of ensuring these soldiers can seek a new life free from the devastation of their current circumstances.
Original Source: www.voanews.com
