Seoul is open to accepting two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces — but only if they formally express their intention to defect, Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said Wednesday.
“Their personal consent is a prerequisite,” Cho said during a National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee meeting. “If their desire to seek asylum in South Korea is clear, we must accept them as our citizens under the Constitution and take the necessary measures.”
He referred to two North Korean soldiers captured in Russia’s western Kursk region, first disclosed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
One of them, identified only by the surname Ri, said in an interview with South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo newspaper published on Feb. 19 that he was “80 percent decided” on defecting and planned to apply for refugee status before moving to South Korea.
The South Korean government said it had informed Ukraine that it would accept the defectors if their intentions were confirmed. Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Agency has since indicated that their transfer to South Korea is “feasible.”Cho also reaffirmed that while the idea of South Korea developing its own nuclear weapons is premature, it remains a relevant topic for discussion.
Regarding a lawmaker’s argument that South Korea should actively consider independent nuclear armament or, at the very least, push for the redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons, Cho said the topic “may be premature” but was “not off the table.”
He added, however, that any such decision must be made in close consultation with the United States.
“This issue requires trust, consensus and support from our ally,” he said.
Cho added that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s participation in the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju this November will depend on developments in Ukraine and Russia’s diplomatic positions.
“At this moment, Russia is in a position where it cannot attend even if it wants to,” Cho said. “The attendance and its level will be determined by the progress of negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.”
Putin last attended an APEC summit in South Korea in 2005, during the administration of then-President Roh Moo-hyun, when he took part in a South Korea-Russia summit in Busan.
Since launching the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Russian leader has refrained from attending APEC summits, instead sending his deputy prime minister as a representative.Diplomats have begun cautiously speculating on Putin’s possible participation in this year’s Gyeongju APEC summit, as reports suggest that negotiations over the Ukraine war are gaining momentum, particularly influenced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
He also confirmed that the Foreign Ministry began the process of replacing the country’s consul general in New York, Kim Euy-whan, following controversy over remarks he made during last year’s Liberation Day ceremony.
“Since he has made his intentions clear, he is included in the upcoming spring diplomatic reshuffle, and we are currently selecting his successor,” Cho said.
Kim generated controversy on Aug. 15, 2024, when he waded into the ideologically charged debate over designating a day marking the Republic of Korea’s foundation.
Criticizing a speech by Heritage of Korean Independence Chairman Lee Jong-chan during a Liberation Day event in New York, Kim called for “crushing pro-North Korean leftist forces” in the South.
Lee had sparked Kim’s ire by taking issue with conservative calls to recognize Aug. 15, 1948, when the South Korean government was formally established with Rhee Syng-man as its first president. Many liberals argue that the state’s true foundation day was April 11, 1919, when a provisional government was established during Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule.
Kim’s remarks triggered strong criticism and calls for his resignation, particularly from opposition parties.
BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]
