Lee Moon-bae, deputy spokesperson for South Korea’s Foreign Ministry, speaks during a briefing at the Government Complex Seoul Annex in Seoul on Thursday. Photo by Yonhap News Agency
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday it considers North Korean prisoners of war captured by Ukrainian forces to be South Korean citizens under the Constitution and said consultations with Ukraine will continue.
Deputy spokesperson Lee Moon-bae said at a regular briefing the government has maintained the position “since the outset” and has conveyed it to Ukraine. He said the ministry could not provide specific details because related issues involve the prisoners’ safety and are sensitive.
A Foreign Ministry official also urged news outlets to avoid exposing the prisoners to public attention, saying they are entitled to humane treatment under international law and should be protected in media coverage.
“We ask that related coverage and reporting take care to protect the faces and voices of the individuals involved,” the official said.
The request came after some South Korean media reported interviews with two North Korean POWs while showing their faces. Broadcaster MBC aired interviews Wednesday on its investigative program “PD Notebook” with the men’s faces visible.
In the broadcast, one POW said he was determined to go to South Korea but questioned whether it would be possible. The other said North Korean soldiers were taught they could not become prisoners and added he would struggle to survive if he returned to North Korea.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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