[COVER STORY] Zelenskyy's disclosure of NK POW transfer raises risks for families: experts
For two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces in January 2025 while fighting for Russia, their recent arrival in South Korea, where they requested to go, offers freedom and the prospect of a new life. But for their families left behind in the North, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s public disclosure of the transfer may have heightened potentially life-threatening risks,…
![[COVER STORY] Zelenskyy's disclosure of NK POW transfer raises risks for families: experts](/img/14395652)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean soldiers, captured in January 2025, to South Korea has raised concerns about the well-being of their families, according to experts. While the soldiers now have the chance to start a new life in South Korea, their loved ones in North Korea may already be facing heightened risks.
Experts believe that the families could have become vulnerable even before the transfer was made public, due to the fact that the capture was disclosed in January 2025. The Kim Jong-un regime is likely to retaliate harshly against the families, possibly through forced relocation, loss of official positions, and increased surveillance.
However, the families' current situation and any potential punishments remain unknown. Ahn Chan-il, a North Korean defector, stated that the families were probably removed to remote mountainous areas and stripped of their positions in the regime.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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