A North Korean prisoner of war has become the first from his country captured in Ukraine to seek asylum in South Korea, with experts suggesting it could spark a flood of similar requests and force Pyongyang to reconsider its role in a conflict far beyond its borders.
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The 26-year-old POW, surnamed Ri, is one of two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces. In his first interview with the Korean press, Ri told the Chosun newspaper that he was almost certain about defecting.
“I’m about 80 per cent sure about my decision,” Ri said in the interview published on Wednesday. “Most importantly, I want to seek refuge in the Republic of Korea. If I apply for asylum, will they accept me?” he said, referencing South Korea’s official name.
Professor Kim Jee-yong, an expert in international relations at the Republic of Korea Naval Academy, said he believed that granting Ri asylum could set off a “domino effect”, with other North Korean POWs following suit.
“This would force North Korea to reconsider its continued participation in the war,” Kim told This Week in Asia.
A government official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said on Wednesday that North Korean soldiers were South Korean citizens under the South’s constitution, which defined all Koreans – whether they lived in the North or South – as citizens of the Republic of Korea.